Tony's Salvation
by Tigyr
Summary: So, my female character will be familiar to those who’ve been reading the Knights series as well as Samson series. We can just say it’s an alternate reality for all parties involved…and hey, Ducky’s alive in this one…yay
1. Chapter 1

Laurie Fields steps into her Aspen, Colorado restaurant and breathes a sigh of relief. She's finally home. She had spent the last few days helping some friends move and been on assignment with her SEAL team prior to that. Heading down the long hallway, she stops briefly in the office to let Max, her manager, know that she's back. Once that's done, she heads upstairs. She has a separate apartment above the store for those long nights when the roads won't let her drive home safely.

"Hey, Cook, have a phone call for you. She asked for you by name and said it is important." Carol Linsey is one of Laurie's newest chefs and from what Laurie has heard, the woman is doing an admirable job. The fact that she's answering the phones is indicative of the business's success.

"Thanks Carol. I'll take it in my office." Laurie hides a grimace as she strides down the hall towards the stairs and her office. She'd known that opening her restaurant, _the Knotted C_, could lead to a lot of headaches. She hadn't anticipated being at the beck and call for her friends when she did so.

However, when she enters her office she sees that the phone call in question is actually part of a private line that a very select few have the number to. That and the fact that they are asking for her by her real name is indicative of the importance of the call.

"This is Laurie Fields, how may I help you?" She kicks off her shoes as she waits for the reply.

"Dr. Fields, my name is Abby Sciuto. We met three years ago at a biochemical seminar near MIT. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to come to my lab here at NCIS?" Laurie takes a minute to remember the name and the person associated with it. The gothic forensic scientist had worn black the entire seminar and had been a blast to hang out with.

"I can be there on the next flight out unless you need me there sooner. May I ask what's going on?" Laurie can tell something is seriously wrong as the normally hyper person she associates with the name Abby Sciuto seems abnormally calm. Abby's next words confirm her fears.

"I can't say over an open line. Just please get here as quickly as possible". Abby hangs up before Laurie can tell her that she'll meet her in a few minutes. Laurie makes another phone call to her brother Cass to tell him of her change in plans. He'd planned on visiting the next day and Laurie wasn't sure how long her business in Washington would take.

"Hey be on alert. I just got a call to NCIS in Washington." Cass thinks about the ramifications of such a phone call and asks if she wants back up. "Not at this time, but be ready in case I call."

"You got it boss." Laurie isn't just Cass's sister. She's also their SEAL team leader. She heads into her suite and takes a shower. Changing into jeans, a short sleeved shirt and a light weight jacket, she also puts on a pair of hiking boots. She repacks her bag for at least a one night stay and then teleports to the Navy Yard. She pulls her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and dials Abby's lab.

"Abby's lab, what can I do for you?" Once again the tone is almost depressed compared to the happy, bouncy almost hyper-new-puppy scientist that Laurie remembers.

"You could meet me at the gates and tell me what's going on." Abby almost drops the phone as she checks the computers and gets visual verification that Laurie is indeed standing outside the gates.

"YES!" The excited scream almost deafens Laurie and she pulls the phone away from her ear. "I'll be right there." Abby turns and heads for the elevators. Leroy Jethro Gibbs steps out with a Caf-Pow in hand. Abby grabs it and his hand and pulls him into the elevator. She hits the button for the ground floor as she tells Gibbs what she's done.

"You trust her Abby?"

"Almost as much as I trust you Gibbs."

The comment makes him raise his eyebrows but he says nothing as he follows her out to the gates. Laurie is standing there talking quietly to the security guard when the other two come out. "Agent Gibbs, she said that Ms. Sciuto would explain."

"It's alright Jerry, I asked her to come here she's just a few hours earlier than I originally anticipated. I apologize for not letting you know she was coming."

Laurie gets her visitors badge and follows the other two back inside. Gibbs is frowning slightly as he knows he's seen her somewhere but for the life of him can't remember where it would have been.

"I take it we'll talk in your lab Abby?" Laurie is just wondering where and when she'll find out what exactly is going on.

"Yes. I'm sorry not to tell you more on the phone but it's important and I didn't know who else I could talk to."

"I take it this is in regards to one of your co-workers then?"

"Yes." Abby doesn't say anything else all the way back to her lab. Gibbs heads upstairs towards the briefing room and the rest of his team while Abby leads Laurie downstairs. Once inside, Abby hits a switch and Laurie winces slightly as she is inundated with Abby's music.

"Sorry, but I thought I read somewhere that you know Sign language and I need to talk to you without being overheard."

Laurie Signs her acknowledgement and again asks Abby what she is there for. Abby hands her two files and in Sign tells her that they are the personnel files for Tony DiNozzo. Tony is Gibbs' senior field agent and right hand man. Before she can open the files the elevator opens and Tony himself steps out. He winces slightly at the loud music and motions for Abby to turn it down a notch. As she does so, he turns and for the first time that day sees Laurie.

"Hey Abbs, Gibbs told me you might be needing a refill. Can I get anything for your friend here? Hello pretty lady, name's Tony."

"Thank you Tony. I'm okay for now, but my friend Laurie might appreciate some water if you can get her one."

Tony nods and looks at Laurie who holds out her hand. "I'm Laurie Fields, and a bottle of water would be nice, thank you."

Tony holds her hand a minute looking her up and down. Unlike most of Abby's friends, she's not dressed head to toe in black, and doesn't appear to have a noticeable tattoo. Her blonde hair is in a long braid down her back and she's not wearing any discernable makeup.

"So, how did you and Abby meet?"

Laurie smiles at him and tells him that they'd met three years ago at a chemistry seminar. Tony smiles back and asks if that means that she has a degree in chemistry.

"Actually I have three degrees. Chemistry is just one of them."

"And the other two are what?"

"I've a doctorate in medicine and another in cooking." She's watching him closely as she replies. She notices immediately the sudden coolness in his touch and his face pales as she tells him she's a doctor.

"So are you a practicing medic?"

"Not really, I'm pretty much just a consultant these days."

"So you're retired then?"

"Not from working, just from medicine. I'm on leave of absence for a couple of weeks and just got back from helping a couple friends move into new lodgings."

"Okay, hey Abbs, I'll be back soon with your refill." As he leaves both women watch him go. Laurie turns to Abby and Signs her observations. The main thing she'd noticed was the way he'd turned from her when she'd mentioned her doctorates.


	2. Chapter 2

Chpt 2

"Is he shying away from all females with the possible exception of you?"

Abby nods as she Signs "Ever since he came back from the damn mission he's been like this. He'd gone deep undercover for almost a year and part of the assignment was seducing the daughter of an arms dealer. The daughter had been a young doctor and Tony had fallen in love with her. Not even a year later, he and another agent were on protection detail."

Laurie can almost see the scenario as Abby describes it. Tony and Ziva were supposed to be protecting the female director of NCIS. The director then countermands that order and tells the two agents to take the day off. The director died that same day.

"Damn he's got guilt riding him three ways from Sunday."

Abby nods and starts turning on her computers and other forensic equipment. Laurie watches in silence as she mulls over what she's learned so far. As she hasn't read the files yet, she's not sure exactly what her purpose is here. She finally asks Abby what else is wrong.

"I don't know. All I do know is that the Tony I've known for almost ten years is missing and in his place is this stranger. He seldom comes down here for a hug and almost never smiles anymore."

"Is it possible for me to talk to any of his co-workers without them being suspicious?"

Abby shakes her head in reply. "Tony himself is a former cop from Baltimore and Ziva is Mossad. Even Timmy would get suspicious after a while."

Laurie smiles at the affectionate tone that she can sense even with Sign language. "What about Agent Gibbs?"

"What about him?" Gibbs is standing there with Abby's fresh Caf-Pow and Laurie's water. Even though he'd answered out loud it is evident that he'd understood the Signing. Abby hugs the man and his steel blue gaze softens as he hugs her back. The steel is back in his eyes as he looks at Laurie.

"At ease, Gunny. I'm here to help if it's within my power to do so." At the reference of his former rank it dawns on him who she is.

"You're sure about that Commander?"

She meets his steel blue gaze with a resolute one in her purple eyes. "I am and I believe that you and Abby both want to help Tony straighten out his mind. I am a licensed psychiatrist, and can help if he will let me."

"Figures that she'd call you before I could figure out who we needed." He favors the young goth with an affectionate smile. Laurie waits a minute then asks if they can talk somewhere without interruption. Gibbs nods and tells her that he'll meet her back down in the lab in ten minutes. He needs to give the team their assignments for the day. As he heads for the elevator Abby turns to Laurie in surprise.

"Commander?" Laurie smiles at her.

"When the situation warrants it. I am known in the navy as Commander Laurie Fields. At your service Miss Sciuto." She bows with a flourish and Abby giggles.

"A naval commander? Wow can I use you in my next book?" The voice belongs to the computer tech known as Timothy McGee.

"No Timmy! She's my friend who's spending some time looking for possible restaurant locations. I think I finally convinced her she needs to open one here."

Seeing McGee's downcast expression, Laurie takes pity on the young man and tells him that she'll see what happens during the next few weeks. "I may need your input later and if so we can discuss the possibility of my being in your book."

"That sounds great, umm what restaurant if you don't mind my asking?"

"I own four others that I call _the Knotted C_. If everything goes okay I might open one around this area."

"Wow! You have an awesome restaurant in Aspen. I took my parents there for their anniversary four years ago. You're to be commended for the meals we had were something my father remembered from a trip to Japan and he commented that no where else has he been offered the right beverage with his meal. Most places ask if you want a coke or something right away and your staff suggested the tea if we wanted certain meals. So I really hope you do open a restaurant here. Let me know if I can help with locations."

"Thank you Tim. Agent Gibbs, I take it you're ready to give me the penny tour." She's spotted Gibbs standing nearby, listening to his youngest agent rave about the restaurant.

"Let's go. McGee, check in with Tony for your assignment."

"Yes Boss. Nice to meet you Commander."

Laurie smiles as she comments to his retreating back, "Nice to meet you too Tim."

Gibbs escorts her back up to the garage level and motions her to a dark blue dodge stratus. Once they are inside he turns to face her. "Are you really thinking of opening a restaurant here?"

She leans back against the seat and turns her face to him. "It's a good possibility and a good cover. I've actually been thinking about expanding for a few years but hadn't really thought about where to open. This is one of those rare opportunities that give me a chance to do some real research on it. Do you think it would be acceptable here?"

"Asking the choir here. I've had several meals and been impressed every time. Do you think you can really help Tony?"

Laurie nods thoughtfully as she replies, "Yes and now I have a reason to stay in the area. A very plausible reason for staying and doing some research. I take it from my conversation with Abby that the Tony you hired ten years ago is a different man than the one I encountered in her lab earlier today."

"He's almost as timid as Tim was when I first brought him over from Norfolk. I need my senior field agent back. I just don't know if even you can help considering several of the females he's been around lately have died, been killed, or betrayed him."

Laurie nods, and Gibbs can tell that she's turned her thoughts inwards as she remembers something from her own past. "It can be a difficult obstacle to overcome, but it's not insurmountable. Where does the other lady doctor come in to his story?"

Gibbs grunts as he steers the car around a slower driver. He tells her what Jenny Shepherd had finally told him about Tony's involvement with the beautiful Jeanne Bennoit.

"You're still upset about that."

Gibbs pulls to a halt in front of his house and turns to her. Anger outlines his entire form and she can tell it's partially directed at himself, for not seeing what was going on under his very nose.

"Yes I am upset about that. My agent was nearly killed because my director put him undercover without telling me. None of us knew what was going on and then the little bitch of a doctor has the balls to tell Tony that he had to choose between her or his job."

"Obviously, he made his choice." Her quiet comment only stirs his anger.

"I still don't know why."

"I'd say it was obvious. He chose to put his family first. That's what you all are to him, the little family he has left."

"Jenny died because she told him and Ziva not to follow her. They were supposed to be her protection detail!" The anger he's feeling is directed at Jenny this time due mostly because she'd chosen death over life.

"What else don't I know about?"

"Rule number twelve. He and Ziva either broke it or came damn close to it. They were really tight for a while. Now they're almost strangers again. They work okay as a team but it's obvious that whatever was between them is gone. Did Tony quote a movie or television show the entire time you talked to him?"

"Admittedly it was a brief introduction but no, there was no reference to movies or television."

"That is why we want you here. Movies and television are part and parcel of Anthony DiNozzo. Or they used to be and for some reason, ever since he and Ziva parted ways he's been a completely different man. I want my agent back. I need my senior agent back!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chpt 3

Laurie nods as she analyses what she's learned so far. Taking a deep breath she finally looks out her car window and sighs in admiration. "What a beautiful home."

Gibbs smiles at her appreciation. "My wife and I built it shortly before our daughter was born. I've never been able to part with it, couldn't bear to when they were both killed. Since then, it has become the team sanctuary almost."

She's nodding trying not to look like a goose-necked tourist. "I understand what you mean."

He looks at her and sees the same sadness and loneliness that he tries to hide. "Who?"

"I lost my husband in WWIII just shortly after the war started. I lost our unborn son in a car accident shortly afterwards."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, but maybe that's the kind of thing that keeps us going."

Gibbs nods slowly as he escorts her inside. As she enters the hall entryway, he can see her almost visibly melt. The highly polished hardwood floors and wainscoted walls are complemented with colorful throw rugs and pastel painted walls. Pictures of the NCIS team through the years populate the wall leading into the living room. Staring at the changes in the team she tries to formulate a plan to help the team recover one of their own.

Laurie sits in one of the suede covered la-z-boy chairs and glances up at her companion. She has two separate photos in her hands. One from the early days when Tony first joined the team and one from the last Christmas party.

"I can try Gibbs. That's all I can promise at this point. He's hurting, that much was obvious from the little conversation I did have with him. I also want to tell him exactly what I am."

She's referring to her status as not only a licensed psychiatrist but that as an active Navy SEAL.

"I don't know. Admittedly he's not one for secrets, and we all can understand why that is. I would advise telling him right away if you can at least about the psychiatrist. He might be head over heels about you being a SEAL."

"Why's that?"

"You'll find out." He's actually smiling as he imagines Tony's excitement at the thought of a female Navy SEAL.

"Okay, well now onto the other course of business. Do you know of any sites that might be available for a new restaurant? Do you want to have Tony escort me or will you assign someone else while you keep Tony in the field?"

"I know of one or two and I think I will have DiNozzo meet you here and show you around."

She nods in acceptance. They continue talking for another hour. Gibbs is about to suggest lunch when he sees the yawn she's trying in vain to hide.

"What time did you get in?" He's referring to whatever mission she'd just returned from.

"The same time Abby called me. I'd been helping some friends move and had just gotten back from a SEAL mission prior to that."

"Catch a nap and I'll have DiNozzo bring us some lunch. Pizza good for you?"

"Mmm hmm thanks."

Gibbs slips away and pulls out his cell phone. He makes two quick calls one to the local pizza shop and then calls Tony so he can pick up the pizza from their favorite shop. Tony is slightly surprised by the request but says nothing as he agrees to pick up the food. He does ask if Gibbs needs any drinks brought in and agrees to pick up a case of cola.

Gibbs meanwhile is studying his guest. She's younger than he'd imagined her to be. From what he can tell she's about the same age as Tony or maybe even McGee. The puzzle for him is her ranking and the fact that she's in command of her own SEAL team. He flips his phone open and speed dials McGee.

"McGee do a background check on Commander Laurie Fields, US Navy SEAL." The other side is silent for a full two seconds as Tim realizes what Gibbs has just said. He quickly complies and whistles softly when the file comes up. "Umm, boss, the file is coming up as ALPHA/OMEGA CLEARANCE all capital letters."

Gibbs sighs as he realizes the implications of that particular clearance level. "Okay thanks McGee. Good job."

"Sure thing Boss."

As Tony pulls into the driveway, Gibbs notices that the sleeping Laurie awakens almost immediately. Tony knocks and enters the house carrying the pizza boxes and the carton of cola. Laurie looks at the soda and smiles in appreciation. Most people buy Coke when they pick up colas and for some reason Tony had picked up Pepsi. Of all the cola products Pepsi is Laurie's favorite.

"Hey boss here's the pizza and oh, uh, hi there." He finally notices Laurie walking out of the living room.

"Tony, I'm going to ask for a personal favor here. I'd appreciate it if you would escort Commander Fields around town. I have McGee working on another project and need your assistance."

"What exactly will this entail boss?"

"I'm here in a business capacity. I'll be retiring from the SEALs soon and want to expand my restaurant business. Abby has suggested that there might be opportunities in this section of the United States for a restaurant such as mine. Agent Gibbs has suggested one or two possible locations and thought that you might have a building or two in mind if those won't accommodate my needs."

Tony throws an exasperated look at his boss who returns it with a mild one of concern as he realizes, "Commander, do you have a place to stay while you're here?"

"Abby invited me to share her coffin, but I'm really not wanting to face that quite yet." The droll look on her face actually brings a smile to Tony's. Gibbs hides a smile as enters the kitchen and he offers to put her up in his spare room. Tony's smile turns into a dropped jaw. He's never known Gibbs to bring an unknown person into their fold. Then again, he might do so to keep an eye on her. That thought comforts him and he offers up a small smile as Gibbs brings out a beer and hands it to him. Gibbs opens up the other beer in his hand and offers Laurie a can of soda and a glass with some ice cubes in it. She accepts with a small smile and a soft thank you.

The trio finishes eating. Laurie finishes her last slice and puts up her hand to hide another yawn. Gibbs suggests that she go ahead and take a nap. That will give him and Tony time to find more locations and a chance to talk. She nods tiredly and heads up the stairs. Gibbs follows her up and watches as she falls asleep as soon as her head touches the pillow. He then drapes an afghan over her and heads back downstairs. Tony is still sitting in mild shock at the thought of someone other than the team or a redhead is inhabiting the spare room.

The familiar whap of Gibbs hand against his head brings Tony out of his stupor. "Sorry boss. What time should I come over tomorrow? Why is she so tired?"

"You're staying the night and she'll have to explain it Tony. For right now let's brainstorm on restaurant locations."

"Do you want to wake her up for supper?"

"Nah let her sleep. She can forage in the fridge if she gets hungry."


	4. Chapter 4

Chpt 4

05:00 reads the clock beside her bed. Laurie frowns in momentary confusion not really sure what woke her up. Checking her watch she grimaces as she realizes that she'd slept the clock round. She hasn't had a solid night of sleep since the war ended ten odd years ago.

The sound comes again and this time she can identify it as a soft cry of pain. Easing down the stairs she crosses to the den and sees Tony in the throes of a nightmare. She enters the room and cautiously sits on the floor beside the couch. As she does so, she softly talks to Tony, letting him know of her presence. She hesitantly touches his shoulder and he immediately reacts by throwing her against the couch and rolling on top of her. She stays quiet as he grabs her hands.

Gibbs runs into the room, but a look from Laurie makes him pause. She's asking him to trust her with his agent's life. She can tell that Tony's nightmare is gradually diminishing. As it dissipates, his brutal grip loosens and becomes a caress. Knowing she has to do something, she gently extracts a hand and lightly touching his face knocks him out completely.

Gibbs steps closer and carefully eases Tony off of Laurie and onto a recliner. Laurie rubs her wrists briefly before turning her attention to the man in the chair.

"Are you okay? I've seen him take down drug dealers with a similar move."

Laurie nods and smiles at the whispered question. She's had worse bruises from nightmares not to mention the war, and knows that these won't be the last she receives in her lifetime.

"You didn't interfere with the nightmare?" His question tells her that he knows she has the ability to enter another person's mind and help heal the trauma by watching what the mind sees.

"I needed to observe tonight. I managed to stay just outside of his mental and still get a good picture of what torments him. By the way, he has strong mental blocks. I wouldn't have been able to just waltz my way in there."

"Can I help in any way?" The concern in his eyes encourages her.

"I think you already are. I noticed when you came in he started to calm down. He trusts you, but you need to maintain your honesty towards him. Let him see that you care even if it's uncomfortable. He needs that, all of your team do, including you."

Gibbs doesn't say anything as he helps her to her feet. She glances at him to make sure she hasn't upset him by what she'd just said. He's nodding in quiet agreement. The past few months have been Hell on all of his team, but Tony is the one they all go to for help. Gibbs himself relies on this ex-cop due to the fact that Tony's instincts are almost as sharp as his own. Laurie knows there's one way to get Gibbs attention and uses it.

"Hey boss, why don't you go shower and I'll rustle us up some breakfast."

"As long as there's coffee, I'll be there."

"Go on with you. Don't worry I'll keep an eye on your kid while I'm at it."

"He's not –"

"Isn't he? Aren't they all?"

The fact that she's managed to figure out in under 24 hours that he regards his team as family is enough to send even Gibbs to the showers. Laurie ransacks Gibbs cupboards and refrigerator. Five minutes later finds her at the stove with the fixings for French bread, bacon and eggs. The coffee is percolating merrily in its pot when Gibbs enters the kitchen. Pouring his first cup of the day but not his last, he sighs with satisfaction. Then he realizes what she's making.

"I'd have settled for toast and jam. You didn't have to go all out like this."

"It's been a while. I wanted to make sure I still knew how."

"Knew what? Morning …boss." Tony yawns then his eyes widen as he takes in the feast on the table. "Whoa, who made all this? I'll be down in five. Hey boss don't eat it all." Tony's footsteps fade away as he runs up the stairs. Five minutes later he's rubbing a towel over his hair and has slipped a pair of khaki's on along with some slippers. He watches as Laurie expertly flips the last piece of French toast onto a platter.

"Eat up you two; don't want all this good food to go to waste." Laurie takes time to grab out some syrup and peanut butter as well as the ketchup and Tabasco sauce.

"You know if this is on your menu, you'll have a good start for your restaurant. Where'd you learn to cook? This is like high quality stuff." Laurie smiles faintly at Tony's questions. She remembers another young man asking the same questions.

"It's just something I've picked up over the years. I had a lot of time to hone it during the war. You could say it's one of my gifts."

Gibbs looks at her with new appreciation in his eyes. "I hadn't realized you were actually over there. Then again as a SEAL, you would have been all over as covert or black ops?"

"No, well we started out that way. I was transferred to MB-1 the second year. I didn't return to my SEAL team for almost six years."

"What the hell were you doing there?" Gibbs is shocked at that fact.

"What's MB-1?" Tony's never heard of it referred to that way.

"Multi-Branch Unit -1, Tony." Gibbs tone makes it a statement of fact.

"It was also called Dawes Guys." Laurie's voice is low as she says it. "We were there to keep the heat off the front line units. Or so they said."

"How did you end up there? From what I read, you weren't in command, you were their medic and head cook."

"That's a deadly combination." Tony's quip earns him a quick whack upside the head.

"It's true though. I was primarily in the camp as the cook and medic. They certainly saw to it that I rarely stepped foot outside of it."

"Just how the hell did a Navy SEAL end up in that unit?" Gibbs is curious and getting furious as he realizes just how degrading that transfer was for her.

"Actually I was the second SEAL assigned to it. Commander Morrison was only supposed to be part of the advisory board as a consultant and ended up getting captured the second year and tortured for the next three years. This happened a week after I arrived. I had gone there trying to prevent the formation of another multi-branch unit. I was too late. The entire thing was a set up from the get go. We managed to rescue them however. In the end we saved them both."

Both men can tell that this is a tale that will take some time in the telling. Gibbs asks one more question.

"What was the cost?"

"Time, man power, resources, almost the entire unit." The last is said so softly they almost don't hear it.

"That's why you went in. You were there to save them if at all possible." She nods as she finishes her milk. The two men finish their coffees and start washing up the dishes. Laurie tries to help and is told to sketch out the details for her restaurants so that they can have McGee input them into a search program and narrow down her search. She nods and leaves the room while the two men quickly get the dishes out of the way. As they work, Tony asks Gibbs the one question that's been burning in his mind.

"Boss, when did we get a female Navy SEAL and how come no one knows about her?"

Gibbs smiles as he sees Tony, his Tony starting to emerge from whatever cocoon he'd been hiding in.

"She's not a well advertised fact Tony. That movie a few years ago GI Jane? Yeah that scared quite a few people into covering it up even more. She's the first and quite possibly the last for years to come. I don't know her complete background story though. You'll have to get that from her."

"Hmm…maybe." Gibbs can see Tony going into hiding again.

"You don't know until you ask DiNozzo."

"She could ignore me or tell me nothing."

"She could also end up telling you the truth, Tony."

"That's what I'm afraid of."


	5. Chapter 5

Chpt 5

Gibbs ignores the silent statement as he finishes washing the last of the dishes. Grabbing a second towel he wipes out the sink and wipes down the table and stove while Tony finishes drying the last dish. Gibbs does a quick walk through making sure all the dishes are in their right cupboard.

"Gotta admit, she does make a mean cup of coffee." Gibbs savors the cup in his hand and debates making another pot to take with him to work.

"I thought that was a prerequisite to being camp cook. Had to know how to make the boss's coffee." Gibbs is shocked and delighted by the faint teasing he can hear in his senior agent's voice. Deciding not to push the man too far he just shrugs as he replies,

"No they just have to know how not to burn everything, emphasis on everything, on the menu." Gibbs puts a friendly arm around DiNozzo who tenses briefly on contact then relaxes.

"Come on Tony let's go see what specs she's coming up with."

Laurie's in the den working with a sketch pad and pencil. The two watch in silence as she completes her sketch. She looks up when she's finished, only slightly surprised to see them standing there. Gibbs asks to see the sketch and when he's done, he tells her that he'll make a place for her on his team if she ever wants to leave her other jobs.

"Thank you for the offer and the compliment. I can't say that I'll ever retire completely from one or the other but I'll keep it on a back burner. In the meantime, I generally start all my restaurants with this look on the outside and then the inner décor is based on what region I'm in."

Tony steps forward and asks if he can look at the sketch. Laurie hands it to him, noting the slight trembling in his hand. Obviously Gibbs job offer has shaken what little self confidence the senior field agent still has. Gibbs notices too but says nothing waiting to see what Laurie will do.

"So, you have an exterior, what are you going to do with the interior?" Tony's question brings a smile to Laurie's face.

"Hopefully, Mr. DiNozzo you'll be able to show me."

Tony glances at Gibbs and they exchange confused looks.

"My team was based out of Coronado, so I only came to the east coast when training required it. It's my own fault; I could have explored more and didn't do so."

They all head outside. Gibbs heads for the Navy Yard and another day at NCIS. Tony escorts Laurie to his car and hands her in like the gentleman that he can be when he tries. Laurie keeps her attention on the roads and asks what cities and towns are nearby.

Tony gives her the sightseer's tour for the first hour. Laurie finally turns to him and says, "Why don't you ask your questions and we go from there."

Tony pulls into Rock Creek Park. He asks a few questions regarding her becoming a Navy SEAL then gets to the question that's been on his mind all morning.

"Are you really going to open a restaurant or is that just a cover story?"

Laurie loops a strand of hair behind her ear and grins at him. Tony can't help himself, that natural grin has him grinning back. Laurie looks straight at him and says, "Yep."

Tony laughs in spite of himself. The woman beside him could have lied, or tried to but instead she'd told him the truth and earned herself just a slice of the trust that he's been losing for the last few months. He questions her about being a cook in a wartime unit, about being a doctor in a world of unrest.

"Do you ever really have the time to sleep?"

"When I'm in a place that I feel safe, when I know that my six is covered, yes, I sleep. Maybe for a few hours, or like at Gibbs, for longer it all depends on the trust I feel in those around me."

"Yeah, I noticed that you fell asleep almost right away. Then again, not many people want to take on El Jefe."

Laurie nods in agreement as she adds, "Yeah, I don't see many people getting past the two of you."

"Especially Gibbs."

Laurie frowns as she tries to decide if he's praising his boss or downplaying his own role in her safety.

"You were there too Tony; don't sell yourself short. If I didn't trust you, there's no way Gibbs could have convinced me to get in this car with you."

He mulls that over and swears softly as they pull up to the entrance of the Navy Yard. He starts to turn around after apologizing when she tells him to drive in and take her down to Abby. "She and Tim might have come up with any ideas for locations for the new restaurant."

"We could always try calling them."

"Why, Special Agent DiNozzo does this mean that you don't want to share my company?"

Tony has to think about that. For the first time in months, he's actually comfortable around a woman, and it's a woman that he's known less than 24 hours. He's not relaxed, not yet, but he doesn't feel the need to drop her into McGee's lap while he runs for the hills. He watches as she steps out of the car wondering if she'd put some kind of spell on him.

"What'd you do to me?" The question is out before he can stop it. She turns to look at him and he shakes his head, not willing to repeat himself or explain what he's not sure of. He looks up and McGee's just getting out of his own vehicle.

"Never mind, there's McGeek. Hey Probie, any luck on accommodations for the commander's new restaurant?"

McGee stands by his car as they approach. He absently notes that the tall blonde could make a good second for his buddy Tony as her coloring compliments Tony's Italian heritage. They all walk into the building and Tim watches as she matches Tony stride for stride.

Tim hurries to his desk knowing that if Tony gets caught there while he's supposed to be escorting the commander around the area, heads will roll. He brings up the plasma and points to several locations on the map.

"Using what I remember about your restaurant in Aspen, I based my criteria around locations and population. As you tend to cater to the armed forces and the local police and fire departments, Abby and I were able to pinpoint five possible sites.

"A couple of them are or were warehouses that are or were scheduled for demolition. There is one location that is just a large empty building and the last two are large empty lots with possible building potential."

Tim prints off the locations and out of habit hands the sheet to Tony. Abby has come in during this time; when Laurie catches sight of her Signs to the Goth that she wants to talk to McGee for a moment. Abby nods and speaks up, letting the men become aware of her presence.

"Hey Tony, can I see ya in my lab for a few minutes before you get carried away by Laurie?"

"Sure Abbs. Hey McGoo try not to scare the commander off with your techno-babble while I'm gone."

"Yeah Tony whatever." Once the other two have entered the elevator he turns serious green eyes to Laurie. "What can I do for you commander?"

Laurie smiles at his expression. She does like this young man, but it's the other green-eyed male that is occupying her thoughts. "I wanted to make a few comments: the first thing is that my name is Laurie. My rank is commander but friends call me Laurie or Cookie. The second thing: does he always speak so derisively to you regarding your last name?"

Tim gives her a genuine smile, one that speaks volumes about the way this man feels about the brother that is downstairs with Abby. "For Tony, that's mild harassment. It's also the first time in weeks that he's deigned to do so; in a way it makes me feel better as it tells me that he's coming out of his funk."

Tim holds his hand out to her, "My name is Tim or Timothy; I answer to both. It's nice to meet you Laurie."

She shakes his hand as she says, "Nice to meet you Tim and as long as you don't make us out to be a couple just yet, yeah it would be an honor to be in one of your books."

Tim smiles then blushes as he realizes she'd picked up on his intention to make her Agent Tommy's new love interest. He asks her how she'd managed to obtain her ranking at such an early age and she hands him a business card.

"When you are ready to start formulating my character, you call me at that number. If it's within my power to do so, I'll answer all your questions at that time."

Tim looks up from the business card in time to see her wince. She then takes a running step to the elevator. Not willing to wait for the machine, she teleports out of Tim's sight.

Abby in the meantime has been telling Tony about her newest imaging system. Tony nods as he tunes her out, trying without success to ignore the sudden headache coming on. Tony slumps to the floor just as Laurie teleports into the lab. Abby turns when Laurie shows up and puts her hands to her mouth when she sees Tony's pain-filled form on the floor.

"What's wrong? What happened to Tony?"

"Abby I need you to calm down and call Gibbs. Let him know what's happening."

"Gibbs should be down here by now; he always knows when I need to tell him something."

"Please, Abby, humor me."

Abby speed dials Gibbs cell phone. The gruffly spoken white haired man flips his phone open as he signals McGee to follow him.

"Yeah Abbs, what's wrong?"

"Tony collapsed in my lab! You should be here by now Gibbs!"

"Is Commander Fields there?

"Yes Gibbs, she made me call you."

"Then Tony's in good hands Abbs. Remember Abby you're the one who called her in and think about why you trusted her with Tony in the first place. I'm on my way, be there in two minutes." He growls at the elevator taking too long and heads for the stairs, McGee only a second behind him.

Laurie in the meantime has Tony lying on the floor, away from the door and is checking him over for any other injuries.

"Tony, it's Laurie, I need you to try and relax so that I can heal you and stop this pain."

"Head…aches…"

"I know…Shhh…take it easy, Tony. We'll get you through this. Abby can you come sit with him for a minute please?"

"Sure. Hi, Tony." Abby's whispering and it still hurts Tony's sensitive head.

"Hi Abbs, don't worry; s'not your fault."

Abby smiles at him, "Oh Tony."

As Gibbs and Tim run down to Abby's lab, Tim asks Gibbs, "Uh Boss, just who is Laurie Fields?"

"If all goes right, Tony's salvation, McGee."

A/N: Please read and review, thanks


	6. Chapter 6

_For those inquiring minds who want to know, Ziva's in the story, just not at the moment. _

Tony's Salvation Chapter 6

Tim and Gibbs both know it's serious when none of the lights are on in Abby's lab. Not only that, but the windows are all covered so that no light can penetrate. Laurie doesn't turn when they arrive instead she asks Gibbs to immobilize the elevator.

"Every time that thing dings he cringes in pain." Abby whispers to Tim as Gibbs steps into the elevator and turns it off.

"Headache?" Gibbs has his full attention on Tony now.

"Migraine, hit him like lightning." Abby replies.

Tim motions for Gibbs to follow him. When they have walked away from Tony's vicinity, Tim whispers, "I think that she felt his pain. When the migraine attacked I mean. We were talking and then she ran for the elevator. When it didn't immediately arrive she disappeared. I think she teleported straight here."

"It's possible McGee. Come on lets see if we can help Tony." the two men walk back to where Laurie and Abby are kneeling by Tony's side. When the two men walk up, Tony tenses.

"Easy Tony it's just Gibbs and McGee. They're here to help us. I know that you're in a lot of pain, but I need you to try and relax for just a few seconds. I'm going to put a blindfold over your eyes, which will keep out the light. When I put it on you the blindfold might temporarily affect your hearing. I don't want you to panic, it's natural. The ones I use are wider than average and cover parts of the ear."

As she's speaking, she lightly touches Tony's temples with her hands. Gibbs and Abby can both tell that it's not hurting him and watch as she works her "magic". Within seconds, Tony is completely relaxed and Laurie leans back on her heels. Since the room is almost dark, the others can see a faint glow around Tony's head. Laurie motions the others forward and explains what she's done.

"I've put a psionic bubble around his eyes and ears."

"Psionic?" Gibbs question makes all the others smile.

"She's created an invisible, or nearly invisible, shield and put it around Tony's head." Tim looks towards Laurie for confirmation

She nods and tells them, "Very good Tim and that's basically it in a nutshell. It's more effective than the traditional dark room and silence because I've created the same effect. At the same time, we can bring up the lights and Tony won't be disturbed.

"This is just one of the things we've had to develop for our combat units. Most of them have a high degree of mental acuity like the individuals in this room. Putting physical bandages on him could actually increase Tony's headaches."

"Do you know why Tony's having migraines?"

"I'm not 100 percent sure yet."

Gibbs stares at her, fixing her with one of his patented glares. She motions for Abby to take Tony's hand and the younger woman does. The result is Tony relaxing even further. Laurie stands up and goes toe to toe with Gibbs.

"You need to understand something. I just got here yesterday, and I am not about to make any assumption regarding Tony's migraines or what causes them based on the limited information that I have right now. For me to do that could cost Tony his life."

"Can you help him, beyond this psi-whatsit thingamabob?"

"I'm going to try. For now I suggest that we take Tony home and let him recuperate for the rest of the day."

"Umm, Laurie is there anything the rest of us can do to help?" Laurie smiles at the concern in Tim's voice. It's obvious to her at least that the two men might squabble a lot, but they are truly brothers in arms.

"It may sound a bit trite, but you are doing it Tim. Just by being here, you and Abby have helped Tony to relax more than I could have done alone. Now, if you two gentlemen can help Tony to his feet and out to his car, I'll drive him back to Gibbs house, providing that meets with your approval."

Gibbs slowly nods as he and Tim help Tony to his feet. He knows that he'll rest easier if he knows that his senior agent is under his roof; under Gibbs watchful eye.

"Great. Abby, can you bring me Tony's medical files when you come over tonight? I'll make a nourishing meal for all of us and we can discuss what we need to do over dinner."

Gibbs raises an eyebrow at her inviting everyone to dinner. She smiles and for one moment he can almost swear he sees Tony in that smile. "You know as well as I do that they'll be knocking on your door or calling your cell phone every five minutes for an update. This way, you can all get some work done and keep an eye on your friend."

"You are a dangerous woman Commander." The way he says it, it isn't exactly a compliment.

"You think so?" She grins as she says it and slides into the driver's seat of Tony's car. She adjusts the seatbelts for both Tony and herself before checking the mirrors and driving out of the Yard. Tim and Gibbs watch as she drives out of their sight.

"Back to work, McGee; we'll quit early tonight."

"Yes, Boss."

The reports are filed and taken up to Vance's desk by 17:00 hours. As he comes down the stairs that lead to Vance's office, Gibbs sees the question in McGee's eyes and nods his head. McGee promptly calls Abby, who in turn calls Ducky and Palmer. Abby makes sure to grab the files that Laurie had requested and heads upstairs. They all meet by Gibbs car and the boss man gives his orders for the night ahead

"Everyone go home and pack a bag. We'll meet at my place at 18:30." He gets in his car but before he can even get the key in the ignition Abby is tapping at the window.

"Here, Gibbs, she requested these files."

"So give them to her when you get there Abbs." His patience is running thin as he turns the key. Abby drops the files in his lap, muttering something about Laurie needing the files sooner rather than later. When Abby steps away from the car, he puts it in gear and heads for home.

_A/N: hope to have another chapter up by the end of the weekend. For those who want to know, there are no real "ships" in this story at the moment however, it will end up with at least Tony and Laurie, and possibly Tim and Ziva…depending on my muse. Then again…it could change…Reviews are welcome ^_^_


	7. Chapter 7

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 7

Arriving at Gibbs house Laurie doesn't waste time wondering how to get Tony inside. She parks the car then goes around and opens Tony's door, gently leading the agent inside. Once inside, Tony immediately relaxes. He's been in Gibbs house enough times to recognize the immediate layout and tries to direct Laurie to the bedroom he normally uses.

Laurie ignores him and takes him to Gibbs room instead. Tony puts up a token protest before subsiding on the bed in relief. Laurie turns to leave the room, but Tony's hand reaches out to stop her. "Don't…don't leave me…"

There's a slight tinge of fear in his voice, making her frown as she comes back towards him. She wonders just what has happened to this man, to bring him to this point. While not used to talking much, she starts a steady stream of chatter, hoping that it will calm him enough that he can finally relax and eventually sleep.

"It's okay, Tony, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. As you know, we're in Gibbs home, and he'll be here soon with the rest of your team protecting your six. Can you feel my hand Tony? It's still clasped in yours; listen to my voice as you calm your breathing. You know that you are safe here. You know that Gibbs has your six and while I'm here, so do I."

On and on she rambles, until Tony finally falls asleep his hand firmly clasping hers. Laurie smiles as she waits for his body to completely relax before attempting to move away. Certain that he'll sleep for at least the next hour, she heads towards the kitchen.

As the afternoon passes, Tony sleeps and Laurie keeps a watchful eye while preparing a meal for the team. When Gibbs arrives, he drops the folders on the table then goes to the bedroom to check on his agent. Seeing a peacefully sleeping Tony, he heads back down the hall and enters the kitchen.

Laurie is slathering two halves of French bread with garlic butter and mozzarella cheese. She covers the bread with foil, setting it aside until the rest of the team arrives for supper. Gibbs sniffs the air appreciatively. He sighs when she hands him a cup of freshly brewed black coffee.

"Tony?" He asks as he takes a sip of the hot brew.

"Sleeping as you saw, he should wake up by the time the team gets here. As for a medical opinion, I'm not passing one right now."

He looks at her as she starts tearing a head of lettuce, preparing a salad for the meal. She glances at him as she fishes a knife out of a drawer.

"I see you made yourself at home."

"You expected me to stay in Tony's room holding his hand and worrying over him; I'm not that kind of doctor. You want someone who will listen to you, your team and the man in question then sit down and we can talk."

Gibbs glares at her and she glares right back at him. She emphasizes her point by slicing a roma tomato without looking at it and places it on a saucer next to the bowl of lettuce. She does the same to a small purple onion, as well as a cucumber. Gibbs grabs a piece of the cucumber and pops it in his mouth. When she doesn't react he reaches for another piece.

She reaches into the fridge for more vegetables and on her way back cuffs him on the back of the head. He glares at her before laughing knowing that he'd have done the same to any of his team members. He takes another sip of coffee and asks her if he can help.

"Don't eat all the cucumbers and your team will be here in fifteen minutes so you have time for a quick shower if you chose to take one tonight."

"You saying I stink?"

"No, if that was the case I'd actually tell you, 'Gibbs you stink' think of it as something to do before dinner as we'll be busy afterwards."

Gibbs leaves the room and takes a quick shower, pulling on jeans and a t-shirt when he's done. He checks one more time on Tony then rejoins Laurie in the kitchen. She's sitting at the table, munching on a carrot stick as she reads one of the files she'd requested from Abby.

"Thought those were just busy work for Abbs." He snitches another piece of cucumber as he sits down across from her.

She looks up at him over the folder in her hands. "They were, but it helps to know if I'm actually right about something before voicing my opinion on it."

He sighs as he watches her read. She's a speed reader and quickly finishes the first folder before turning her attention to the food in the oven. She puts the folder in the bread box and Gibbs smiles knowing that none of his team would think of looking for anything in the container.

"If you want, you could set the table while I let the lasagna rest and pop in the garlic bread."

"You made one of Tony's favorite meals."

She says nothing as she pulls out the lasagna. She pulls the foil off the bread and raises the oven rack. She turns the temperature on the oven up and puts the bread inside. As she straightens, they both hear the sound of car doors silently closing.

Tim, Abby and Ducky are all ushered inside, where they exclaim over the meal. Gibbs looks at Laurie asking her if they need to wake Tony up. She shakes her head, knowing that the agent hasn't gotten much sleep in the last few weeks. A few hours won't hurt him and it might help him sleep easier that night.

They finish the meal with light conversation as they savor the hot meal in front of them. Soon the only thing left is a pile of dirty dishes and a plateful of food set aside for Tony.

Gibbs and Abby make short work of the dishes while Tim and Ducky set up temporary camp in the den. Tim has his laptop on the table in case they need it. Ducky has started a fire in the fireplace. Laurie checks one more time on Tony, noting that the man will be waking up soon. She leaves the door slightly ajar, so that Tony will know that he's not alone.

Rejoining the rest of the NCIS team, she raises a hand as she walks in the room. She's not about to let them bombard her with questions and says as much.

"We'll go around the room. One question at a time, starting with Gibbs and going clockwise. The main thing you all need to know is that I will try to help Tony IF he lets me."

"Why if?" Gibbs growl is met with an even stare.

"It's still his choice Gibbs, and if he says no, then ALL of you will agree with his decision."

Dead silence from around the room. Then Tim raises his head.

"Do you know or do you have an idea of what is wrong with him?"

"No, and like I told Gibbs earlier, I won't intrude unless I'm asked to and I would prefer that Tony do the asking."

Abby exchanges glances with Tim as she asks, "How long will you wait to help him if he doesn't ask you to?"

"As a physician, and I'm sure Dr. Mallard here can attest to this, my hands are tied unless I have permission from either Tony or his next of kin."

Ducky nods before he says, "Then as Gibbs is listed as Tony's next of kin, if it comes right down to it, Gibbs can give you permission to help dear Anthony."

Laurie smiles at Ducky's formal use of Tony's name. "I can help Tony, I just don't want Tony to be kept in the dark."

A soft, irritated voice comes from the entrance to the den, "Tony agrees with that last statement. Why exactly are we discussing me without me being present?"

####

A/N: Yeah, that's a good place to leave it until the weekend. Reviews are welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony's Salvation Chapter 8

Gibbs stands up when he hears Tony's softly worded question. "What are you doing out of bed DiNozzo?"

"Smelled something good and went looking for it but got distracted when I heard my name."

Laurie stands up and heads for the kitchen to bring Tony his food when he grabs her by the arm. The grip is firm but not hurtful as he leads her back to the couch and sits beside her. He looks over at Abby and asks,

"Abby, would you mind getting that for me please? I need to talk to the commander for a minute."

Abby nods and exits the room. She exchanges a worried look with Gibbs as she leaves, but says nothing. In the kitchen she pulls the plate of food out of the warmer and opens the fridge to pull out the bowl of salad that had been set aside for the sleeping agent.

Gibbs frowns at Tony as he says, "She's only trying to help Tony."

"I want to know just what in the HELL is going on. Why did you bring in a Navy SEAL to help me? What did I do that you felt you needed the protection of a commando?"

Tony's hurt and confusion is felt by all in the room. Tim starts to say something when Laurie beats him to it.

"They care about you Tony. They are concerned for your welfare. As for my being a SEAL, that's just part of who I am."

"And what else, are you a shrink too?"

"Yes, when the occasion asks me to be. Am I here to evaluate you? Only if you want me to. That's what I was telling the others when you walked in."

The steady look in her eyes, the solemn tone of her voice convinces him that she's telling the truth. He takes her hand, turns it over in his, traces the lines in her palm.

"You said that you have degrees in chemistry, medicine and cooking. What does that make you today?"

She meets his eyes again, "A retired physician, almost retired Navy SEAL, and a thriving restaurant owner."

Gibbs stands straighter when she mentions retirement. "You're retiring from the SEALs, why?"

"I've been in the teams since I was a teenager. Most of my teammates are dead or retired, and I really don't want to be a desk jockey."

Gibbs starts to say more but Abby comes in then with Tony's meal. Tony eats with deliberation, savoring each bite. He questions Laurie about spices that she's used and she tells him.

"Can you tell me just what my role is in this whole situation?" Tony's question brings their attention back to the situation at hand.

"That's entirely up to you. I am interested in opening a restaurant and would like to keep you as my guide, but I understand that you may not want to. If that's the case, I'll do a little sight-seeing and head back home."

Gibbs exchanges a look with Abby. They'd both caught the hint of loneliness in her last sentence.

"For tonight you're staying here." Everyone hears the command in Gibbs voice and they all turn to face him.

"You said that you have time off. Spend tomorrow relaxing and enjoying our part of the country. While you do that take the time to think about what life holds in store. Tony, how are you feeling? You were in considerable pain earlier."

"It's almost gone Boss. Whatever pain medication she used was, it worked." The others stay silent knowing that she hadn't used any medication.

Soon Tony is finished eating and they all gather around the two laptops that Tim had had the foresight to bring from work. Abby and Tim input the information that Laurie requires for a new restaurant and soon even Ducky is contributing ideas about locations. Tony listens from the couch. He's holding Laurie's hand again, something everyone on his team has taken notice of. Listening to the ideas that roll out of the others' mouths, he realizes that there is one place no one has mentioned.

He looks up at Gibbs as he says, "There's one location, and now that the rubble has cleared that could be prime real estate. It's located in Georgetown and would be great way to serve the military community."

Tony's referring to the lot where Jenny Shepherd's home used to be. Gibbs, as Jenny's sole beneficiary and executor of the estate has complete ownership. When no one says anything, Tony starts tensing, wondering if he's finally overstepped his bounds.

"That would be a wonderful way to honor Jennifer's memory, Jethro. You have been wondering what to do with it." Ducky's comment seems to jar the others from their stupor.

"It is a good idea Gibbs. If Laurie actually likes it, maybe we can put up a plaque in memoriam." Abby's comment is met with a smile from Laurie.

"McGee, you're rather silent. What's your opinion?" Gibbs has been watching his youngest agent's expressions. For all the growth the younger man has made as an agent, he'll never be a good poker player; his expressive face reflects his emotions way to easily.

"I was just remembering something boss."

Gibbs is about to insist that McGee tell them what he means when a quiet voice from across the room stops him.

"If it's important you can always tell us later, Tim. I'm not under a timeline here, there is no rush."

Tim nods and notices that Tony is hiding a yawn. He gives Abby a subtle nudge as he says, "Hey guys, it's getting late; I'm heading for bed."

"Make your bunk in here McGee. Ducky you can stay here too."

"I thank you for the offer Jethro, but I have to go and take care of the dogs. Timothy, I had Abigail bring Jethro over to my place, so you won't have to worry about him tonight."

"Abbs, you and the commander can share the guest room. DiNozzo," Gibbs voice trails off when he looks at the couch and sees Tony sound asleep, leaning heavily against Laurie. Gibbs goes to the hallway closet and grabs out a pillow and comforter. Returning to the den, he finds Tim and Abby helping Laurie move Tony into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

Gibbs is a little surprised but then realizes that his agent still has a firm grip on Laurie's arm. He starts to step forward to remove Tony's hand when Laurie shakes her head.

"No, it's going to take a while before he's comfortable enough to get a deep sleep while I'm around. Let him get used to my presence. His instincts as a cop are taking over, just let him be."

"He can hurt you." Gibbs is remembering the night before.

"No, not really; last night was defense and he restrained himself once he realized that I wasn't his enemy."

"He's not letting you leave."

She smiles, and he knows that she's been in similar situations. Tim sets up a sleeping bag and asks if she could tell them about her experiences. Before she can Gibbs tells them that it's late and that Tony needs sleep. Tim, ever the gentleman hands Laurie his pillow and asks if she needs help with the sleeping bag before heading upstairs with Abby. The Goth and the geek talk long into the night before falling asleep, cuddled in each others arms.

Gibbs lingers in his kitchen, drinking the last of the coffee as he sets the pot for the morning's brew. As he heads down the hall towards his room, he peeks into the den and smiles at the sight before him. Tony has slipped off the couch and is curled up behind the commander. Laurie looks up from her position and shrugs her acceptance. Satisfied that his family is secure, Gibbs heads for his own bed and a few hours of sleep.

###

Next chapter--the truth behind the nightmares...be warned a slight twist to the DiNozzo family canon ahead.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 9

Two hours later, the nightmare hits Tony again. This time Laurie is watching outside his mental walls to see what happens. She keeps her body relaxed against Tony's and runs her hands up and down Tony's back. Without notice, she finds herself pinned and Tony's hands have captured hers.

Laurie stays still, not moving against him, wanting to see what he'll do next. She knows that any wrong move could get both of them hurt. Mentally she waits, wanting his mental shields to open without her interference. When the door slams open she runs inside, knowing she might not get another opportunity. Once inside she stops cold in her tracks unable to believe what she's seeing.

Young Anthony DiNozzo is hunched over another child, preventing the little boy from receiving a beating. From what she can immediately see, the two boys are five years old and twins. Their attacker—their father. The eldest DiNozzo is yelling at the twins, telling them to be quiet or next time he won't be so lenient.

"Tony, what's lenient mean?"

"I don't know Richie. I think it means he'll hit both of us."

Twins, and Tony from what Laurie's observing is the older of the two. The scene flashes forwards two years. The twins are celebrating their 7th birthday, only there is no party and no one is celebrating. Tony and Richie eat their cake and ice cream with their tutor then softly make their way downstairs where their dad is yelling at their mom.

"You choose which one goes and which one stays!" Their mom is crying so hard that they can't hear what she's saying. Tony tiptoes closer to the door in an attempt to hear what is begin said the door is yanked open and both boys fall into the den.

"Well, boys come on in. You've just made it easier to make up mommy's mind."

Both boys sit up, too scared to do more than wonder what is going on and why Mommy is crying so hard. Watching the nightmare unfold, Laurie Fields now knows why the man known as Tony DiNozzo seems so familiar to her. She's watched this same dream, this same nightmare several times. Only it was over 20 years ago, when her husband Rick was still alive.

For the first time in her professional career she breaks protocol as she softly says, "Oh my God."

Both mental boys turn towards her at that point. Richie fades from view and Tony is now in front of her. Only it's the adult Tony and an angry Tony at that. He strides over to her and pins her to a mental wall, his hands holding her wrists. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

A soft ghostly voice echoes across both their minds, "Take care of her Tony, she means a lot to me."

"Richie? Richie! NO!" Tony crumbles and Laurie stands in shock for almost ten seconds before kneeling down and pulling him into her embrace. He resists her for almost a full minute before accepting the comfort she's offering. His mental weeping brings her to the edge of tears as she continues holding him.

Physically Tony has Laurie's hands locked in his and he's unconsciously beating them against the wooden floor. Gibbs is woken up by the faint scream that emerged from Tony's lips, and then by the rhythmic beating of hands against wood. He runs down the hall, and stops in momentary shock as he sees Laurie's hands being hammered against his floor.

Before he can move, McGee is beside him and hands him a pillow. Gibbs immediately places one right under the couple's hands. He can tell that Laurie is going to have bruises if not broken fingers by the time the evening is finished and wonders how best to wake up Tony without anyone else getting hurt.

*Leave him alone, he's grieving. I can heal myself later, just let him be.*

The mental message is more of a command than a request and it rocks Gibbs and Tim back on their feet. No one has ever given them mental commands before, or even attempted mental communication; except for Abby's failed attempt so many years before.

The two silent men exchange worried glances, and then watch in wonder as the pounding stops, and soon Tony is shuddering as he succumbs to tears and pent up grief.

Now that he knows it can be done, Gibbs issues a mental command of his own to the one person in the room who will hear and obey it.

*Commander I want a full report from you once he finally gets back to sleep.*

*Yes, Gunny.*

The tears are subsiding as is the shaking. Tony's mental figure finally falls asleep, still holding tightly to Laurie's mental. Laurie lets out a small sigh of relief. She knows that her hands are severely bruised and she's going to be in some major pain come morning.

"Commander? Ummm…Laurie? Can I get you anything before I go?"

Bless his heart; Tim McGee hadn't left the room yet. Laurie asks him to bring her pack from the bedroom. When he does, she instructs him to open the front left, third pocket and to give her two of the pills that are inside. As he does so, McGee also brings forth the bottle of water he'd brought from the kitchen. He helps her raise her head enough to drink the pills down.

"Thanks Tim, those will help my healing kick in a little quicker than normal."

"My pleasure, can I assist you with anything else? You have some nasty cuts on your hands."

Gibbs is back in the den and hands Tim a warm washcloth. Tim smiles up at his boss's thoughtfulness as he gently swabs at the cuts on Laurie's hands. Gibbs suggests moving Tony so that Laurie can sleep in a more comfortable bed but she shakes her head. Tony's sobs are quieting and he's shifting into a deeper, dreamless sleep.

"He's not moving and I'm not that uncomfortable. You guys just try and get some sleep as he's going to need you when he wakes up."

"Are you sure about that, commander? Your hands are pretty bruised." Gibbs has seen the bruises, the swelling that is going on in both of her hands. He wants to make sure there will be no repercussions.

Laurie nods, knowing that he's concerned about her as well as his agent. "He's sleeping mentally as well as physically; he should sleep for at least the next two hours."

"What about you and your hands?"

"I can heal while I sleep." She knows a secret now, one that even Gibbs doesn't know. Tony is a healer too. The man just doesn't know it yet.

"All right commander I'll see you in a few hours. DO NOT MAKE BREAKFAST. We will take care of it." his tone brooks no refusal and she honors him with her reply.

"Yes boss." Gibbs and McGee both smile when she says it. Once the two agents are out in the hall, Laurie settles more comfortably in Tony's embrace; her hands are sore and bruised, but she's had worse injuries when she was an active participant in the war and her hands are healing. She closes her eyes and breathing in Tony's scent, gradually falls asleep.

###

A/N: New chapter by Thursday. Reviews are welcomed


	10. Chapter 10

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 10

Gibbs escorts McGee out into the hall and looks at his youngest agent in question. Tim had purposely stayed behind this time, clearly wanting to discuss something with him.

"Come on, we'll talk downstairs." He leads the way to his basement and Tim follows him slowly as he remembers what he's just heard.

Downstairs, Gibbs waits with unheard of patience while McGee finishes processing everything that he's learned in the past few hours.

"Boss, have you ever heard of Richie DiNozzo? Should I try and find him? Why is Tony in so much pain?"

Gibbs sighs as he answers or tries to answer Tim's questions. He too had learned something tonight and knows that he will be hearing that pain-filled scream for months to come.

"Calm down McGee and let's figure this out. No, I haven't heard of Richie DiNozzo until tonight. If you want to try finding out what happened to him, I have no problem with it. As for Tony's pain—I don't know. That's why I asked Abby to bring in someone who might be able to bring him back to us."

Tim nods, concerned for the man he considers his brother in all but blood. He smiles as he realizes that Gibbs has given him the okay to investigate Tony's brother and vows to do what he can to keep his friend from having any more nightmares. The two men head back upstairs. Gibbs heads for a shower and Tim steps back into the den to pick up his laptop. He smiles at the picture before his eyes: Tony sleeping peacefully with his hands wrapped around the commander's waist and the commander equally at peace with her head on Tony's shoulder. He snaps a quick picture with his phone, not really sure why he does so.

When Gibbs comes back down the hall, Tim has started the coffee pot and is plugged into the internet, searching for anything on Richie DiNozzo. He finally hits pay dirt when he decides to double check Tony's birth records and cross references them for the information he needs on Richie.

"Hey boss, I found a birth certificate and an adoption certificate. That's odd, there's no name of the adoptive family."

"Not so odd, McGee. It's possible that the family never formally adopted Tony's brother, in which case, there would be no names on it, other than the DiNozzo's."

Gibbs doesn't bother saying that if Richie DiNozzo had been sold to another family, in the guise of an adoption, they'd be lucky to find any trace of him.

Another hour passes and by this time, both Gibbs and McGee are getting worried. Other than the first documents that Tim had found, no other record of Richie DiNozzo appears to exist. Abby comes downstairs and hugs the two men as she reaches in the fridge for her back-up Caf-Pow.

They bring her up to date on what they're working on and Abby frowns as she remembers that Tony had been left alone on Maui for two whole days. She starts inputting that information into the search that Tim's been running.

Two minutes later they all hear the ding of a search being completed. Three pairs of eyes turn to the computer. Gibbs reads what the computer says and curses before heading downstairs. Tim and Abby read what the screen says; Abby sits down in the nearest chair and Tim pales as he continues reading.

Gibbs comes back upstairs to find Abby weeping quietly in Tim's arms. The computer geek is holding back his own tears as he continues probing Tony's past. He looks up at the gentle squeeze on his shoulder. Tim sighs and dutifully recites what he's learned.

"Richie DiNozzo was born the same day as Tony only five minutes later. Both boys grew up in an abusive home. No child abuse reports were filed due to lack of evidence. When they were eight, Mrs. DiNozzo passed away; coroner's report stated death by natural causes. At the age of twelve, the DiNozzo males were on a trip to Maui, when Mr. DiNozzo was given an ultimatum."

Tim pauses long enough to take a deep breath and pinch the bridge of his nose as he continues the path of Tony's past. "Richie was sold during the same time period that Tony was left alone at the hotel. I was actually able to come up with a bill of sale for Richie in the amount of ten thousand dollars.

"I lost him for about 6 years but when he enlisted in the marines I found him again. His name by this time had changed to Richard Thorpe. The one thing they didn't change was his social security number. He was killed saving several members of his unit; among the surviving members, one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. There is a marriage certificate in here for him boss; he married Laurie Fields three months prior to his death. Boss, she miscarried their child a few weeks after Richie died."

Gibbs grip on Tim's shoulder tightens as Tim concludes his findings. He remembers Thorpe; the man had indeed given his life for Gibbs, just prior to Gibbs being sent to Afghanistan. Thorpe had been full of life, yet there had been a shadow in his eyes that never faded, not even when they received mail or phone calls from home. Yet he had been a marine, and to Gibbs that was all that mattered.

A/N: New chapter by the weekend.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony's Salvation-- Chapter 11

Mentally, Tony wakes up a mere half hour after he falls asleep. He's never been one to sleep for long periods of time, but he can sometimes force his body to rest when it's absolutely necessary. He looks at the blonde sleeping beside him and silently curses.

He knows that he's had a nightmare; he can feel the lethargy sapping his strength. He also knows what usually happens when he has one. There have been many nights where he's woken up with bruised and battered knuckles; too many nights, ever since that day in Maui when he'd woken up alone and known that Richie, like his mother, was gone forever.

The nightmares had helped him in a way. They had led to his finding methods of self-healing while he was in college. The same self-healing that had let him recover from a medieval disease. He just didn't know how to use it to help others.

He gently turns Laurie's mental figure so that she's facing him. He picks up her left hand, wincing at the bruises he knows he inflicted. As he watches, the bruises slowly start fading. He curses in Italian, filled with loathing at the harm he's caused her.

A slightly callused hand comes up and covers his lips. Dark green eyes look down into lavender ones.

*Stop the berating yourself. I know what I was doing when I stayed with you. I've seen it before.*

*You didn't have to put up with it! You could have defended yourself!*

*I needed to see what was going on, defending myself would have defeated my entire reason for being here.*

*Yeah, to study me, like a freak in a circus.*

*No, to find out why the Tony DiNozzo that your friends know and love has been slowly disappearing.*

*Well, I guess we figured that out pretty quickly didn't we? So you can just leave the pathetic agent to his devices and go about your merry way.*

*I don't work that way Tony. I told you earlier, I'm here to help you. You let me in, and now I'm here to stay.*

*Great, it's worse than invasion of the body snatchers, you can take my mind too.*

*Only if the rest of you comes with it.* her mutter is almost unheard, yet Tony's sharp hearing picks it up.

*Why doctor, I do believe--," He's cut off as she reaches up and pulls his head down to hers. Several minutes pass and he sits up slightly stunned when she finally breaks off the kiss. She sits up and waits for him to say something. When he doesn't she sighs and starts to apologize. He wraps a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her into his kiss. When they finally break it off he says, *Never apologize it's a sign of weakness. Unless of course it's between friends.*

She stares at him, not quite sure what to say, finally she says, *Does that mean we're friends now, because you've had me under interrogation ever since I got here.*

*Deny if you can that you're here to evaluate me and my effectiveness for the team, in and out of the field.*

She sighs and drops her gaze. * You have several friends who are worried about you. Your team performance isn't being questioned, your friends are more concerned about the mental shutdown you've been going through these past five months. You do realize that in the past few minutes you finally made a movie reference? According to Gibbs and Abby that hasn't happened since you were agent afloat.*

Tony sighs as he nods in agreement. Between the affair with Jeanne and the whole fiasco with Jenny Shepherd, he's not been himself.

*Can you tell me about Richie? I ...we never saw each other after Maui. I couldn't find him either. I tried to, but it's like he disappeared. I went through every database I could get my hands on when I was with the police department; there was just no trace.*

Laurie notes their entwined hands, sees the slight green tint sliding over her fingers and knows that his healing powers are kicking in. He's not aware of anything else; lost in his memories of his twin brother.

*You have to understand something: I only knew him for a few months. He was a Marine when we met at my restaurant in Aspen. He brought his martial arts instructor in with him and after eating their meals, he asked to meet me. We went on our first date that same week.*

*Why didn't he contact me? I can understand that he might not have known where I was after Dad kicked me out, but we always had…a bond for lack of a better word.*

*Can you tell me when you first noticed the bond not working right?*

*Yeah, right around the time Dad forgot about me in Maui.*

Laurie rolls to her mental feet and walks over to where a slim mental bond is wavering. Tony stands beside her not really sure what she's looking at.

*This is the bond between you and your brother.* she runs a gentle hand over the bond and Tony can feel a slight tingle where she's touching.

*When you two were separated, it weakened the bond. Over the passage of time and distance, not to mention the way they separated you, without warning, it made the bond crack.*

*So, some of the images I thought were dreams were of Richie? Our bond trying to keep us together?*

She nods and pulls a photo out of her mental pocket. *They changed his name to Richard Thorpe. They basically beat the name DiNozzo out of him, but he still remembered you.*

*How did he die?*

*He was in a frontline unit and was killed saving three other Marines.*

*He saved Gibbs, didn't he?*

*Yes and I think that's part of the bond I sense between you and Gibbs. Why Gibbs knows almost instinctively when something isn't right in your world; Rick passed what little bond he still had with you on to Gibbs.*

Tony looks at her a question forming in his eyes. *Are you here with me now, because of my ties to Richie?*

*I ought to deck you for even asking that. Tony, until tonight I had no clue that you and Rick were related. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss Tony, because I want Tony, not Rick.*

She steps closer to the bond and Tony can see traces of blue amongst the green. He puts a hand out towards the bond and can immediately tell that the boss man is upset about something.

*They heard you call out Richie's name. Gibbs and Tim are more than likely running searches now so that they'll know more in the morning.*

She's rubbing her shoulders, and he steps closer to her, *Will you trust me in this regard at least?*

She sighs when his hands take over on her shoulders, gently massaging the soreness away. *Make sure you do that physically too, once we're both awake and I can appreciate it.*

He turns her to face him and he can see the contented smile on her face.

*Only if you reciprocate in kind.* He startles himself when he says it, he hasn't wanted touched, held, or any kind of affection since Jeanne. Her hand reaches up to cup his cheek and instead of swatting it away, like he has been to Abby for the past month, he leans into the slight embrace, closing his eyes as he does so. His eyes pop back open as he thinks about something.

*Why did you never hook up with someone from your teams?*

She shrugs and he turns her to face away from him, knowing that sometimes it's easier to talk when not facing your inquisitor. He keeps his hands running up and down her shoulders and back, lightly touching the tightly bunched muscles as he finds where exactly she needs massage relief.

*Most of my SEAL team were older than I was. I became their kid sister or beloved daughter. Two of them actually are my brothers, a fact we discovered during the war. Those two are the only surviving members of our team aside from me.*

*What about Dawes Guys?*

He can feel the tension in her shoulders rise again and wonders just what can of worms he's opening.

*You know the cold shoulder you gave me upon our first meeting? Try getting that multiplied by nine over the course of two years. The entire team, aside from the advisors board, was predisposed towards hating women.*

*Which one hurt you?* Tony silently curses himself for asking the question, but she doesn't back away from him; instead she turns to face him, tears glistening in her eyes.

*My best friend…we had talked about marriage after Rick died. Once the war was over so too was my military career according to him. I said I wasn't leaving the SEALs and he said sayonara.*

Tony grimaces at the similarity between her story and what happened between him and Jeanne. He pulls back a bit, making sure that she understands what he's about to say.

*I'm not that man, but I'm not going to give up NCIS; I wouldn't mind if you wanted to join our team though.*

She smiles at him and gives him a hug which he slowly returns.

*Thank you for the offer, but I'd like to try opening a new restaurant here, if you're still willing to be my guide.*

He smiles back at her, realizing that he likes this woman. She makes him feel wanted as well as needed.

*Just out of idle curiosity, are you looking for new housing here too?*


	12. Chapter 12

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 12

_He smiles back at her, realizing that he likes this woman. She makes him feel wanted as well as needed._

"_Just out of idle curiosity, are you looking for new housing here too?"_

Laurie stares at him and Tony's heart slows. He can't believe he asked her that. He turns away from her; she pulls him back.

"I shouldn't have said that. I'll just go and--"

"Stay…I wasn't expecting that question."

"Yeah, well, I'm not really surprised."

She reaches up and Gibbs-slaps him and he stares at her.

"Stop belittling yourself. I said you surprised me, not that I minded the question. Would I consider looking for housing here? I might... if I had the right incentive "

Hope blooms in his green eyes, as he steps close once again. "What kind of incentive would it take?"

"Not really sure…might take a lot of persuasion."

Her gentle teasing brings a smile to his face. He can think of a lot of ways to persuade her, now that he knows she might be interested in him.

"So, persuasion tactics might be needed. Like this?" He kisses the tip of her nose.

"That's a step in the right direction." She smiles at him and he drops a kiss on her lips.

"Is your hair naturally white?"

"Yeah since I was a kid."

"I don't remember anyone else having hair this color…except maybe my grandmother." His saucy smile and the teasing in his voice tell her that he's starting to break out of whatever funk had encompassed him.

"It's okay Tony; I won't tell anyone you like really older women."

With that statement, light hearted banter begins. Two mental hours pass, mere minutes in the real world and Tony's mental is laughing at some of the outrageous stories they've swapped back and forth. He catches her trying to hide a yawn and knows that he's part of the reason for her tiredness. She's been teaching him how to strengthen his mind and his mental shields.

"You should get some sleep. You and I have a big day tomorrow if we're gonna scout out locations for your restaurant."

"Can I stay here for a while? I like your mind, it's quiet."

"Yeah come here." He escorts her to the bed he's managed to conjure thanks to her teachings. As she lies down, she pulls him down with her and he lays there holding her as she drifts off to sleep. He absently starts stroking her hair and he realizes that for the first time in any relationship he feels…complete and comfortable.

He looks up as a shadow drifts over him; Richie is sitting on the far side of the bed. His ghostly presence is oddly comforting to Tony until he sees his brother's ghost reach out to Laurie.

"You can't have her Richie. She's with me now."

Richie lightly caresses her cheek before gliding over to his brother's side of the bed.

"Take care of her Tony. She needs you just as much as you need her."

"Can you tell me what happened? Where you were? Why I couldn't find you?"

Tony's questions are met with a sad smile. "I will arrange for your friends to find out on the computer. Let's just say that life prior to Maui was almost as good as life after. The best part of my life, aside from the Marines, was the three months of time that I spent with the lady in your arms."

Richie lets his ghostly gaze drift over his two favorite people in the universe. He'd never forgotten Tony, not even when his foster parents had tried to beat the memories away. Instead, he'd locked Tony's image into a safe zone that he could escape to when the beatings got too bad. He hadn't tried to contact his brother for fear of someone, namely father DiNozzo, taking it out on Tony.

"You're looking good Tony. NCIS really does suit you, much better than any of those police departments did. That lady you're trying to keep from me? She'll suit you too, if you let her. Don't shut her out of your life and mind Tony; you need each other."

There's a lengthy pause then Tony asks, "Did she have any inkling at all that you were dead?"

"I blocked her so that she wouldn't."

Two pairs of eyes stare up at him in shock and disbelief. "WHAT?"

Tony looks at his brother, wondering just when he'd gone from being slightly insane to totally crazy.

"Why would you do that to her? My God, Richie, she's a healer!"

"A damned good one, but she would have died if she'd come to our rescue and I couldn't have that. I needed a way for you two to get together; I just didn't anticipate it taking this long."

Laurie looks from one brother to the next, before asking, "Why did you want us to meet?"

Richie sits at the foot of the bed. Tony by now is sitting up, reaching reflexively for Laurie. The former SEAL lets herself get pulled into Tony's embrace.

"You…I knew within three hours of her company that I'd found the perfect woman. She was smart, pretty and knew how to take care of herself. Better yet, she was someone who would be able to understand and relate to my best friend; my brother when the going got rough. I just didn't know where you were anymore Tony."

"Yeah getting disinherited when you're 16 put a bit of a dampener on things. But even if all this is true, why marry her? You could have just had an affair."

Richie glares at his brother before giving him a head slap that even Gibbs would be proud of. "Tony just because our father is a bastard is no reason for either one of us to behave like one. Besides, I loved her."

Laurie stares at her former husband. "Tony has a good point though. Why marry me, we could have been friends."

"I married you for the simple reason that I love you. I just think that Tony is the better man for you." He gestures to the way the two are sitting close together on the bed. "Look at yourself, Tony. You've never held anyone the way you hold her."

Tony has to acknowledge the truth in his brother's statement. He feels extremely protective of the woman in his arms, regardless of her military background.

"As for you my lovely wife, in all the time we were married, you were never that relaxed. That comes from your trust issues. You've trusted Tony from the moment you first set eyes on him."

Laurie exchanges glances with Tony. "I don't remember him being this chatty when he was alive, do you?"

"No, he was always the quiet one, until it came to something important."

"It is important; you two are meant to be together. And I …I want to go home."

Laurie's puzzled, she knows that she felt his soul leave on the day that he'd died.

"I came back to help you two find each other. You did feel me die; I just came back."

Tony is watching the expressions flow across Laurie's face. He finally asks, "Just when did you die?"

"The same day you blew out your knee in college."

Tony blinks in surprise. He'd almost expected to hear that his brother had died when Tony had contracted the pneumonic plague. He still remembers the day when Gibbs had come into the room where he'd been struggling to draw even one breath. The slight tap on the back of his head as well as Gibbs telling him that he wouldn't die; just another miracle pulled off by the boss man.

Still, he could have sworn he'd seen a flash of lavender in his boss's icy blue eyes. Maybe not that day, but in the days following, whenever Gibbs had looked at him.

"I wasn't there, Tony. I was a half a world away keeping my team alive."

"You still helped him. Whenever you would sleep, you would mentally slip over and check on him."

"I don't remember it."

"You never do; not when you're pulling what the others call 'sleepwalking medic'. You know that someone needs your assistance, even when you're half a world away. I've watched many times over the years when you've been so tired that you were out on your feet and still managed to hightail it over to whoever needed healing…it was mostly mental, but every now and then it was a physical healing."

"If she's able to do that, why didn't she heal you?"

"I wouldn't let her. She needed to find you Tony."

Tony is off the bed so fast and slapping his brother so hard Laurie blinks in surprise.

"That lady loved you and you callously leave her. You let yourself die when she's pregnant with your child. A child she then loses due to grief and loss. You idiot!"

He's almost shouting by the time he's finished and glances back to find Laurie sitting there in minor shock. She doesn't remember telling him about losing her baby. Tony slides in beside her, holding her close

"It's okay lady, I gotcha. Go to sleep I'll watch your six." He rocks her as he strokes her hair, gently lulling her into sleep. Once he's certain that she's sleeping he motions for his brother to follow him.

"Don't come near us for a long time. I may not have her abilities, but for what you've put her through I would find a way to hurt you Richie."

Richie fades away and Tony makes sure to strengthen his shields before heading back to the woman who has captured his attention. He pulls her into his arms and falls asleep


	13. Chapter 13

Tony's Salvation Chapter 13

Tony yawns and stretches slightly, as he gradually acknowledges that his body doesn't want to sleep anymore. He blinks as he takes in his surroundings, slightly surprised that Gibbs hadn't had him move to the spare bedroom. The soft form beside him brings his focus to the woman who's entered his life and is currently occupying his mind. He's a little surprised by the trust she has in him. He's more surprised by the trust he has in her.

He smoothes the blanket over her and rolls to his feet. Within seconds he's entering the kitchen where Gibbs, Tim and Abby are all discussing Tony and his brother. Tim gets up to let him sit down but Tony waves him off, heading straight for the coffee pot. He pours a cup and starts drinking it down making the others stare at him in mild shock.

"Boss, who is she? Why do we trust her so much after so little time? Better yet why does she trust us?"

"What do you mean Tony?" Gibbs puts up a hand to prevent Tim and Abby from saying anything.

"I can understand trusting her because she helped me with my migraine. Why does she trust us though? She's a combat veteran, and she totally trusts us after two days? It just seems odd to me."

"I trusted you on less time than that Tony." Gibbs reminds his senior agent.

"You had already checked into my background boss. She hasn't had time to do any research on us."

Abby pipes up, "That's not strictly true, Tony. I met her at a seminar three years ago. She's had plenty of time since then to check out NCIS."

Tim listens to what everyone else is saying before sitting back in his chair. He waits for everyone else to quiet down then says, "She's following her gut."

All eyes turn to him and he blushes faintly. Gibbs nods and pats his shoulder, then turns to Tony.

"McGee's right. You are too; she is combat hardened and yet she came in here ready to trust the entire team on Abby's word. I think if you ask her she's done some homework on all of us, might have a complete dossier on each of us."

"Yes I did some homework; no I don't have full dossiers on anyone. I trust my gut when it comes to people that I interact with." Laurie's standing in the doorway, looking mildly amused to find them all talking about her.

"What kind of homework?" Gibbs is asking not interrogating…yet.

"Interviews with others that you've worked with including the LA branch of NCIS. Nothing else."

"Nothing else?" Gibbs isn't sure that he believes her. Neither are the others.

"Gibbs, up until three days ago, I was a fully active and deployed Navy SEAL. You know as well as I do how often we get leave time."

"Still you've had three years to look into us."

"Believe it or not, not everything revolves around NCIS and its team members. I have another life that has little to do with the military."

"What about your doctorate in medicine?"

"I'm retired from it. I do keep up to date credentials though in case I'm needed in an emergency."

Tony comes over and drapes an arm over her shoulders. She smiles up at him as he hands her a glass of milk. The others hide smiles at the gesture; to them it means that Tony is on the mend. Tony looks around the kitchen then says, "I'm hungry anyone else want something to eat?"

"Not if you're cooking DiNozzo." Gibbs smiles at his agent letting him know that he's kidding.

"Boss, I'm wounded. You've put a knife in my heart boss." On and on Tony prattles as he digs in Gibbs fridge for what he wants. Abby hugs Tim as they listen to Tony complain about Gibbs comment.

Gibbs comes over to stand next to Laurie. He leans close and says sotto voce "Don't know what you did or how you did it, but that is the man I've known for ten years. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, gunny. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever daddy DiNozzo did to him, he's not out of the woods quite yet."

"One Tony DiNozzo breakfast special coming up. Scrambled eggs with toast and bacon, as well as milk for my lady."

Laurie raises her glass in thanks as he passes by and kisses her on the cheek. Tim picks up his laptop and moves it into the den. On his way he whispers a quick thank you in Laurie's ear. Tim then heads upstairs to take a quick shower before the meal. Abby bounces excitedly from the room and Gibbs meets her in the den. He then proceeds to have a conversation with her in Sign language.

"Abbs, calm down. Laurie says that this could be a false start. We need to keep positive but it's possible that he could recede again."

"He won't Gibbs; she won't let him. We have her for at least two weeks and this is only day two. We have to think positive Gibbs. If she can accomplish this much in two days, imagine what Tony'll be like in two weeks!"

Gibbs has to admit that his Goth has a point.

In the kitchen Tony finally slows down when the toast starts popping up. Laurie's there to assist him and he looks at her as he hands her a spoonful of eggs to taste.

"Those are some of the best eggs I've ever had; you could always come be our breakfast cook if you want something to do in the early morning."

"They're just eggs."

Laurie helps him scoop everything onto platters before replying.

"Tony, I'm a professional chef. I get paid top dollar for meals like the one you've just created. I don't give out praise like that unless it's deserved. Believe me, if something tastes like shit, I'm gonna tell you that it tastes like shit."

He smiles at her honesty and calls the others in to eat. Idle chatter fills the air as they eat breakfast. When Tim comes around collecting plates to put in the dishwasher, Laurie looks at the others and says, "If you want to continue looking into the past you're welcome to do so. I'd recommend that you do it at the Navy Yard so that you won't get in trouble for not coming in today. Tony and I will be out for the day looking at possible restaurant locations, so if you come up with any questions for us, please write them down and we can discuss it later tonight. Tony, I'm going to shower then meet you in the den in 30 minutes."

"Make it 45 so that I can get a shower in too."

"Copy that."

She leaves and the others are left standing in her wake. Clearly she's a woman used to giving instructions and having them followed. Abby smiles and says, "I'm gonna go wake up my babies. Timmy you want to come with me?"

"I'll follow you in Abbs; I need to check on something on the way in."

Abby waves as she takes off. Tim looks at Gibbs who cocks an eyebrow at him knowing that the junior agent has a question on his mind.

"Boss, can she give us orders like that?

"McGee, she's a lieutenant commander in the navy."

"So, technically yes? I just, I've never seen you—never mind." He can tell that his thoughts are getting him buried higher and deeper.

"DiNozzo, go get changed and take the commander out for the day. McGee," he sighs, "go warm up the car."

"On it boss." McGee grabs his laptop and scampers out of the house still marveling at Laurie's audacity in speaking to Gibbs the way that she does.

Gibbs gets to the doorway and looks back at Tony. "Hey DiNozzo, thanks for breakfast. Don't let the little dictator boss you around too much."

With that Gibbs is out the door and heading for the car. He motions for McGee to scoot over and Tony sighs imagining the ride that Tim is in for. When the car screeches out onto the street Tony can feel the tension that he's been trying to ignore, settle in again.

A soft touch on his shoulder brings makes him sigh yet again.

"What is it Tony? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I – do we have to go anywhere today?" the tension in his voice almost matches what she's sensing rise in the rest of his body.

"I'd like to get some groceries, but we can do that later. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just…don't know."

"Well then, since we're not going anywhere, how about we go back inside and put a movie on?"

He follows her docilely enough to the den, and then stops.

"Can…can I just hold you?"

She nods and he encloses her in his hug. She can feel him shaking and knows that the events of the previous night are catching up to him.

*He's okay Gibbs. We may end up spending the day at your house, but he's going to be okay.*

Gibbs lets out a silent sigh at the mental communication. Tim looks over at him, noting the decrease in speed and knows that the commander had to have told him something.

"Did the commander tell you that Tony'll be all right?"

Gibbs glances over at him and Tim shrugs, "It was obvious, once I thought about it, that she sent us away as a diversion. This way she can help Tony without us around and he won't be as self-conscious about what is going on."

Gibbs smiles as he says, "And Tony still calls you Probie."

Tim sighs, "I think it's like you and Mike Franks. He still calls you Probie, even after all these years apart. Mike isn't as malicious as Tony can be at times, but I know that he trusts me to have his back and I trust him to have mine."

"Wisely spoken McGee."


	14. Chapter 14

Tony's Salvation Chapter 14

Back at the house Tony is still holding Laurie close. She runs a hand through his hair, while the other one caresses his back. Tony closes his eyes, fighting the memories that are threatening to overcome him. He starts swaying back and forth; for a moment Laurie is concerned then realizes that he's listening to music that only he can hear.

Laurie closes her eyes and sways with him, letting him lead the way. She doesn't know what he intends to do, but she knows he won't intentionally hurt her. Tony pulls her closer and runs his hand under her hair caressing her neck.

"May I kiss you?" the soft whisper makes her open her eyes. His emerald green gaze is so close to her she can almost feel the heat from his eyes. As it is, she sees hesitation, doubt and fear that she'll say no. She slowly nods and as she opens her mouth to say yes, his lips (finally) come down on hers.

When their lips make contact, they both sigh in satisfaction. They'd looked for completion and were one step closer to finding it. Laurie caresses Tony's cheek as the kiss deepens. When he (yes I said HE) finally breaks away, she stands still, wanting, needing to know if he wants her as much as she wants him. Tony takes a couple of deep breaths in a vain attempt to calm his own emotions. He tries to lighten the mood by saying, "You…don't kiss everyone like that do you?"

For her part, Laurie is almost as dazed as Tony is. She's never been so thoroughly kissed; not to the point that she's enjoyed it this much.

"You okay?" Tony tips her head up as he asks the question and she smiles at him. He catches his breath at that smile as it is one that she obviously reserves for someone special.

"I—you—wow."

"So is that a good wow or a bad one?"

The tone of voice is teasing; the look in his eyes anything but. She takes his hands in hers and looking him straight in the eye says, "Definitely good, Agent DiNozzo, definitely good." She finishes her statement with another kiss.

Once they again come up for air, Tony looks at her. "Where do we go from here? I mean I really don't know what to think at this point."

Laurie leads him over to the sofa and sits down, pulling him down beside her. She leans into him as she says, "I told you that I'm looking for restaurant locations. I didn't tell you that I'm retiring from the SEALs. I need to finish up some paperwork and can do that here as well as anywhere."

"Why retire? You love the SEALs; you could be an instructor with all of your qualifications."

"I could, and I still might if they ask me."

That's when Tony knows. They won't ask her. Despite the training and knowledge she possesses, they don't want to acknowledge her presence.

"Their loss is my gain. Of course you could always try out for NCIS." Even as he says it, Tony stops in wonder. Just hours ago, he'd been afraid that she was after his job, now he's offering it to her. She giggles as she reads the thoughts that flow freely in his mind and he growls at her.

"Easy tiger, I told you earlier that I have no interest in NCIS," he looks away and she continues as she puts a hand to his face, bringing it back to her, "except maybe a certain senior special agent." She emphasizes her point with a kiss, and then says, "The restaurant will keep me busy for at least the next two years Tony."

"So, I've got you for at least the next two years?" he wants it to be longer and her next words make him smile.

"Well, it could be longer, with the right incentive." She tries to duck away when she says it and Tony realizes that she's as scared of rejection as he is. He kisses the top of her head and pulls her closer. They sit there cuddling for several minutes neither of them voicing the thoughts running through their heads.

Tony finally sighs and asks, "So, am I going to be able to function properly at work doc?"

Laurie's not exactly sure what he's getting at, and turns to get a better look at him when he tells her.

"I've worked with my team for almost ten years now. I think I'd know when they start treating me with kid gloves. Besides, Gibbs never opens his house to strangers, even good looking ones like you."

"Are you okay with the knowledge that they care enough to call in an expert?"

He mulls it over and she wonders if she's going to regret what he has to say.

"If you had asked me two weeks ago, hell two months ago, I'd probably have said to hell with everything and everybody…maybe. You…no one has ever tried to help me or stay with me during a nightmare. Not even Gibbs. I know that I get violent; I've seen what can happen, what I've done just to my own hands.

"You not only took it, you rode the nightmare with me. You stayed, even when they told you not to."

"You needed me Tony, and I need you." that simple sentence is enough to bring him to tears. Someone needs him, wants to be with him. Then she says, "Just don't brush my hair too often."

That request throws him off guard. What does she mean by that? As he contemplates her request, he remembers that when she'd been in his mind and he'd been stroking her hair, she'd fallen asleep almost as if she'd been drugged.

"It's worse when you brush it. It's the reason I don't wear my hair down too often unless I trust the person that I'm with."

Tony twists so that he's lying on the couch with her slightly propped up on his chest. Then he asks her why she has so much trust in him. "It's …from the moment you laid eyes on me you've trusted me. No one, not even Gibbs has trusted me that implicitly."

She reaches up and rubs noses with him, smiling at the sensation as she thinks about her answer. "I can't explain it, not rationally. It's as if I looked at you and saw your soul and it said…trust me."

As soon as the words leave her mouth, she knows what's happened. She buries her face in Tony's neck. She really doesn't know how to explain this to him; not in a manner that they'll both understand. She covers her face with her hands making him wonder just what is going on.

She finally lets out a long sigh as she struggles to a sitting position. Tony just wraps an arm around her, pulling her back down to his chest.

"Talk to me. You trust me with your life; now trust me not to laugh at what you say."

She starts tracing a pattern on his chest. "Have you ever heard of recognition? No? That's okay, neither has the majority of Earth's population. I personally have never, until now, experienced it. The easiest way to explain is that our souls met when our eyes did."

She waits for the laughter that never comes.

"'Soul meets soul when eye meets eye.'" Tony's voice brings her gaze back to his. At her silent nod he smiles. "I like the idea that we're soul mates."

"It can be scary sometimes." She's remembering the friends she's helped who have soul mates.

"We'll get through it together; just like we have the last 24 hours. So, your pad or mine?"

She giggles at his lecherous look.

"Now see, that's what I like to hear from a woman; a laugh or giggle, not an embarrassed explanation of something that is going to make our lives better."

She mutters, "If I'm bare assed it won't be in your boss's living room."

Tony gives her an approving look as he says, "Come here." His hand at the back of her neck gently pressures her into another soul searching kiss.

"We keep those up, we're gonna need that bedroom." She runs her hand across his chest and he shudders at a vivid thought of that hand touching somewhere lower.

"Would you ever make me choose between my team or you?"

"Technically, we already did. No Tony, I could never make you choose between us for one main reason: they are more than your team; they are your family. I respect that, and the fact that this job is something that you truly love doing. It can be a bitch on occasion, I get that, but it keeps your life interesting."

"So would you mind if I helped you in the kitchen now and then?"

"I take applications every Tuesday and Thursday. All teasing aside Tony, I'd love to have you share your culinary talent with me, regardless of whether it would be in the home or at my restaurant."

They lay there in silence and then, "I loved them you know; Jeanne and Ziva both. This just feels so different to me. I'm not as unsure about us as I was with either of them."

Her hand reaches up and strokes his cheek.

"A true soul bond, or so I've been told, the partners become whole. It's almost as if they've found a missing link. There is no manipulation and the bond that is created is strong enough for either to sense if the other is in trouble."

Tony muses on her words while she caresses his chest. Seconds, maybe minutes or even an hour later her hand slows as her breathing deepens, indicators that she's fallen asleep. Tony having had little sleep himself soon follows her into a deep dreamless sleep.

NCIS Special Agent Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo wakes up slowly and stretches. For the first time in months he almost feels refreshed. He glances around the room, searching for Laurie when it hits him: he's in his own apartment. He'd dreamed the entire thing.

####

A/N: The recognition quote is out of Elfquest, a graphic novel by Richard and Wendy Pini. As for this being the last chapter...reviews could keep it going...


	15. Chapter 15

Tony's Salvation- Chapter 15

_NCIS Special Agent Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo wakes up slowly and stretches. For the first time in months he almost feels refreshed. He glances around the room, searching for Laurie when it hits him: he's in his own apartment. He'd dreamed the entire thing. _

Tony shakes his head in wonder. The dream had been so real; he felt almost whole again. Surely it couldn't be all fantasy? Tony ducks into the shower and as the water washes over him he ponders his options. He knows that he has several weeks of vacation coming to him and the way Vance has been looking at him lately it might not be a bad idea to get out of the director's line of sight for a while.

Deciding that he'll see if Gibbs will approve an impromptu two week vacation, Tony starts writing down facts that could help him find Laurie Fields. The fact that she could actually be a Navy SEAL doesn't even cross his mind as he had been watching the movie G.I. Jane just a few nights before and figures that he could have put Laurie into Demi Moore's role.

He dresses and heads into work, stopping to pick up the prerequisite coffees for the team and Caf-Pow for Abby. Driving into the yard, he waves at the security guard as he goes into his assigned spot. Picking up the container of drinks, he makes it to the elevator just as it opens and steps inside.

He hits the button for the forensic lab and not hearing the ear-shattering music that is the Goth's signature, he leaves the Caf-Pow in her fridge. He then takes the elevator upstairs to the bullpen. After placing everyone's coffee on their desks, he turns on their computers. He sighs as he realizes just how good the coffee house he frequents is; they'd remembered to give him a chai tea for Ziva, something he'd forgotten in his absent-mindedness.

Gibbs is watching silently from the back stairwell. He'd come upstairs when he'd seen an extra Caf-Pow in Abby's fridge, curious to see which one of his agents had come in early. The fact that DiNozzo is here, almost before Gibbs is, is almost worrying.

"Morning Boss."

"DiNozzo, tell me that you did not spend all night here?" He knows that he didn't, as Tony's wearing unwrinkled clothes and his hair is still slightly wet from his shower. He waits for Tony's answer and is surprised by what his agent says.

"Oh, hey boss. Nope went home got lotsa sleep. No more sleepless in D.C. for this DiNozzo boss. Hey boss, when can I take my vacation?"

Gibbs had been on his way upstairs to get his morning shout out with Vance over. He pauses halfway up, not sure he actually heard what Tony said.

"You serious, DiNozzo?" In all the years that Tony has worked for Gibbs, getting the younger man to take any time off has been worse than pulling teeth.

"Yeah boss, I figure that I've got at least three weeks coming to me. Would it be okay to take one or two here soon?"

"I'll see DiNozzo." Gibbs continues upstairs and Tony turns to his computer, wondering just how many days off Gibbs would be willing to give him.

Gibbs enters Vance's office and the toothpick munching director stands up.

"The way I see it Gibbs I can give DiNozzo two options: either he takes two weeks vacation or I'm suspending him for three; the latter without pay."

Gibbs looks at him, "DiNozzo just asked for two weeks of vacation. Leon in all the time I've worked with him, Tony has never asked for time off."

"Maybe he realizes that his job is on the line."

"I don't think it's that. Something happened last night. I'm not quite sure what yet but I'll find out before the day's gone."

"Tell DiNozzo he's got his two weeks; if you don't need him let him have the third."

"Anything else I need to be aware of?"

"Not at this time."

Gibbs walks out and Vance turns to the one other person who'd been in the room and silent the entire time.

"Well, what do you think? Will putting him on vacation and not a suspension work?"

"All we can do is try director. The fact that Anthony asked for the time off is an indicator that something has happened. If you'll excuse me, I need to be in my lab in case he decides to discuss it with me."

"Very well, thank you for your opinion Dr. Mallard."

"You're welcome director."

As Gibbs walks downstairs to tell Tony that his vacation is approved, he sees that the rest of his team has arrived. Ziva is sipping at her tea as she reads something on her computer screen. The former Mossad agent nods in approval at what she reads and turns to face her boss.

"Hello Gibbs. Do we have an assignment?"

"Not yet. We'll concentrate on cold cases this morning."

Ziva nods and clicks on the case that she'd barely started the night before. Tim is busy typing away and Gibbs figures that he's already at work on a cold case when Tony comes back in the room. Gibbs tells him that his vacation is approved starting immediately.

"Cool thanks, boss."

"Any thoughts about where you'll go?"

"Oh, I don't know boss, I thought I'd start with the Bahamas or maybe Bermuda. There's always Hawaii…then again forget Hawaii." Gibbs glares at his senior agent and Tony grins.

"Actually I have an idea and I'm having McComputerGenius check on something for me. I heard of a good restaurant out in Colorado and I'm sure that there has to be a bed and breakfast out there somewhere, so I'll take my vacation and go skiing or something like that." He gives Gibbs one of his patented devil may care looks and continues to McGee's desk.

"Hey Probie, you find that restaurant for me yet?

"Actually Tony I just finished researching it for you. Here's the address and phone number. Owner is one Laurie Fields, who also happens to cook at least once a week when she's in town. Hey Tony if you catch a flight out within the next twelve hours you might get to meet her. This is one of the nights that she usually cooks and she might know the name of a bed and breakfast that you could go to."

"Anything that we need to be aware of concerning this Fields person McGee?"

"Not at the moment boss. She's established four restaurants in the past 25 years. The first one, which is the Colorado one was created about 5 years before the other three. Those three are located in -,"

"California, Washington State and Texas." Tony's softly worded statement comes just before McGee's computer screen brings them up. The younger agent is a little confused because Tony had sworn he didn't know that much about the restaurants or their owner.

Covering up his confusion, Tim tells Tony, "If you're heading for Colorado, make sure that you pack some warm stuff. It gets pretty chilly around the mountains at night."

"Don't worry, McBoyScout, I'll have plenty of blonde to look at."

None of the others miss the way Tony said blonde as in single and not blondes plural. Gibbs makes a motion behind Tony's back for Tim to keep Tony talking while Gibbs and Ziva start doing some double checking.

McGee's computer beeps and he looks at the screen. "Hey Tony, I can book you a flight out in three hours. All other flights are booked for today unless you want a red-eye."

"Three hours? That'll work, I can wander around town for a while if I need to."

"Got it, and a window seat as that's the one that you prefer. Unfortunately, the b&b's are filled up at the moment." Tim waits a minute as he reads something else that pops up on his screen. He then pulls out his cell phone and makes a call. When he finishes he looks up at Tony with a smile. "Hey Tony, I might not be able to get you a room at a bed and breakfast, but would you mind a room over the restaurant itself?"

Tony had been about to slump down in his own chair as he waited for the next three hours to pass. At Tim's words he stares at him silently praying that his Probie isn't playing a practical joke on him. "You're kidding, right? They actually have rooms above the restaurant?"

"Ms. Fields set it up that way deliberately; so that if anyone got stranded and the hotels were filled, they'd still have a place to go for shelter. As an active member of NCIS they'd waive all room fees for you. I hope you don't mind that I accepted on your behalf."

Tony nods unable to believe his luck. Surely if he's rooming above the restaurant he'll be able to find her. Trying to hide his feelings he chokes out, "I could kiss you McGee, but I don't want your geeky germs."

Tim ignores the taunt, silently thanking God for the miracle of Tony being Tony again. Three months with no taunting, no Mc-nicknames had made Tim extremely worried for the man he looks up to as his older brother.

Tim finishes typing a few more things into the computer then tells Tony, "You're all set. The restaurant is arranging transportation for you from the airport."

"Thanks Tim. Hey you wanna take me to the airport? I need to go pack!" Tony's excitement, seen for the first time in months is almost contagious. Tim looks up at Gibbs who smiles and nods his approval.

"I'll meet you at your apartment Tony. You start packing and I'll get you to the airport."

Tony darts out, showing for the first time in months, the energy and enthusiasm that has always been a part of his makeup.

Gibbs steps over to Tim's desk and the younger man looks up at him. "Why did you tell Tony about the rooms above the restaurant?"

"Because it was in the online brochure."

"Show me, McGee."

Tim hits the key that sends the image to the plasma as he explains, "I had emailed the restaurant for more information regarding hotels in the area and this is what they emailed back to me. As you can see it lists everything that I described to Tony. I didn't have time to read the background on Ms. Fields but it's listed on the final page."

Gibbs smiles at what his agent isn't saying. He tells Tim to get Tony to the airport then heads down to Abby's lab. Ziva slips over to Tim's desk to finish reading the online brochure. Her eyes widen when she reads the fine print and she quickly picks up her phone to make a call.

Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. Wow, so many said they wanted the story to continue so here we go again. ^_^


	16. Chapter 16

_For anyone who doesn't like a lot of conversation in their stories…this chapter may not be for you_.

Tony's Salvation Chapter 16

_Gibbs smiles at what his agent isn't saying. He tells Tim to get Tony to the airport then heads down to Abby's lab. Ziva slips over to Tim's desk to finish reading the online brochure. Her eyes widen when she reads the fine print and she quickly picks up her phone to make a call_.

Ziva listens to what her contacts are saying, thanks them in Hebrew and hangs up. She then heads down to Abby's lab where Gibbs is still talking to the forensic scientist. So far, Abby's managed to stonewall the ever impatient ex-Marine. When she sees Ziva however, she knows it's time to come clean.

"Come on Abbs, it's not too hard to figure out that McGee didn't come up with that online brochure by himself."

"Look, I'm worried about Tony too. This restaurant, on the site it says that she's a licensed medical doctor as well as a psychologist. I was just trying to help him Gibbs. I just figure that she can take a look at him and help him when we haven't been able to."

"Abbs…have you actually talked to Dr. Fields?"

"Umm…" the goth starts playing with her fingers and Gibbs steps closer, puts a finger under her chin. "No, but the manager did say that they will be able to pick Tony up from the airport."

Gibbs turns away, briefly sees Ziva out of the corner of his eye before turning back to Abby. "You do realize that the reason Tony was so excited today is that he thought he had a chance to meet his mystery woman at this particular restaurant?"

"Gibbs there is more." Ziva gulps when she sees the icy blue glare sent her way but swallows down her fear to continue. "Ms. Fields is actually Lieutenant Commander Fields with the U.S. Navy. My contacts have informed me that she is not expected to be stateside for another 48 hours."

Gibbs turns his full icicle gaze on Abby, who's cringing by the mass spectrometer. "Abbs do you even realize that everything you've done could set Tony back. It could push him off the deep end!"

"Which is why Agent McGee will be flying out there 24 hours from now; to make sure that he doesn't." Vance is standing there, toothpick firmly in place as he makes the statement.

"And are you going to guarantee that Fields will even show up at the restaurant?" Gibbs cant help feeling like his agents are being thrown to the four winds again. And Leon Vance is the one doing the throwing…again.

"Oh, she'll be there." One way or another if Vance has anything to say about it.

Abby and Ziva watch as the lead agent of the MCRT and the director of NCIS glare at each other for several more minutes, before Vance finally heads back upstairs.

Abby looks at Gibbs apologetically, "Laurie should be there tonight; it's Thursday and she cooks on Thursday's when she's home. Leon said that she'd be there."

Gibbs just shakes his head at her refusal to listen to what any of the rest of them have said. He storms back upstairs leaving the two women to wonder about what their own futures might hold.

In the meantime, Tim has made it to Tony's apartment and is straightening the place up while Tony packs.

"Hey Probie, whatcha think?"

"About what Tony?"

"My wardrobe while I'm out there."

Tim finishes putting the last dish away before entering Tony's bedroom. He watches as Tony flits from drawer to suitcase, tossing in a pair of socks or taking out a t-shirt.

"You're gonna want a few jeans and t-shirts while you're there Tony. Maybe a sweatshirt or two and possibly a suit."

"Sounds good to me McGee." Tony keeps haphazardly throwing stuff in and Tim automatically starts folding it.

"Hey Tony, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Probie, what's on your mind?"

"Actually that's what I'd like to know. Or maybe I should ask who's on your mind?"

Tony slows down and turns to look at him. "Who are you talking about?"

"The lady that you're going to go see. It's obvious that she's someone special to you, that she means a lot to you."

"Yeah, she does Tim. I just hope that she can see that as well."

"I can do more checking on her if you want?"

"No, I know what I need to." With that Tony closes his suitcase and herds Tim out of his apartment. At the airport as they wait for his flight to be announced, Tim watches as Tony's excitement starts to build again. He smiles as the senior agent waves at him as he boards the plane. Tim McGee isn't sure what awaits his friend at the other end of the flight, but he has a feeling it's going to be someone good.

A/N: Short chapter, but the next one is longer...guaranteed. ^_^


	17. Chapter 17

Tony's Salvation Chapter 17

Meanwhile, in Aspen, Colorado Laurie Fields sighs as she enters her suite of rooms above The Knotted C. She's home again, hopefully for a good length of time. She told both of her teams that she would be incommunicado for the next two weeks. It had upset most of them, but she'd put her foot down. She needed this time away; away from war, pain and death. Her dream the night before has shaken her; she hasn't dreamed about Rick or Richie as he was called in the dream, for almost ten years.

She heads for the shower and indulges in a long, hot, soul-searching downpour. Once she towels off, she pulls on a robe and lies on her bed. Knowing that sleep is beyond her for the moment, she focuses on the odd dream she'd had the night before. She realizes that the main person in the dream is supposedly her late husband's brother. Reaching over to the bedside table she picks up the phone and dials her favorite computer expert.

"Hey Cass, it's Cook. I need a personal favor."

"What's up sweetheart?" The green eyed, blonde haired former SEAL knows something is going on, his commander rarely asks him for personal favors.

"I need information on an Anthony DiNozzo. Possible NCIS agent, former Baltimore cop and Cass? I don't want current information. I want from moment of birth to approximately ten years ago."

"Copy that. Quick question?"

"He joined NCIS ten years ago. In particular, I want to know if he has or had a twin brother."

"Age?"

"Forties."

"Birthdate?"

"July 8th, 1968."

"Makes him younger than you boss."

"Jonathon Cassidy!"

"Checking," he says while chuckling softly. Then he says, "Yep, twin boys born July 8th, 1968 to an Anthony DiNozzo Sr. and his wife. Uh-oh…looks like child abuse and spousal abuse…oh holy mother…they sold their child!" Cass has nightmares about his own childhood; this was worse, much worse.

*No, worse was when they almost succeeded in destroying the twins' mental bond.* as the thought crosses her mind she knows now why Tony DiNozzo is so familiar to her. Her late husband had been Tony's twin brother.

"Who is he boss?" Cass knows he has to be someone important. Laurie doesn't have him do random searches.

"Rick's twin brother. The one he couldn't remember because his mental bond was so badly damaged. It's also why I couldn't save him. He was never able to form a stable mental link after the first one was almost destroyed."

"Do you need us?" Cass's concern is felt even through the phone lines.

Laurie sighs as she says, "No, I'll be all right. I'll work on supper for my guests and if I end up needing some brotherly support I know who to call."

"Okay. You know that you're always welcome here."

"I know, Cass, thank you."

"All right kid, keep in touch and call us if you need us."

"Thanks Cass."

Laurie hangs up and thinks about the information she's just been given. Heaving another sigh, she gets up and dresses in some comfortable jeans, and a lavender short sleeved pullover. She digs around and finds a pair of tennis shoes. After running a comb through her almost waist length white blonde hair, she puts it into a pony tail. Checking her appearance in the mirror, she then heads downstairs.

She smiles at the chefs as she passes through and lets her manager Bertie MacKay know that she's on vacation for the next two weeks and to please monitor all her calls. A former veteran, Max looks up at her in concern.

"You okay, boss?"

"Yeah, Max, just need some sleep to energize my batteries."

"We will have a guest tonight. I'm going to pick him up in a few minutes."

"That's fine, Max. Put him in the suite next to mine we don't really have anything else opened up. Or do we?"

"No and I anticipated that's what you'd want. Nancy and Caroline are airing it out as we speak. Of course, since you're here, you could always go get him boss."

"No Max, I'm not stupid enough to trust my tired body on the road right now. I'll start fixing supper and it'll be ready by the time you guys return."

Max picks up his keys and heads for the door. He turns around at the door and sees her sitting in the chair, 'resting her eyes.' He smiles and pulls a jacket on before heading for the garage and the midnight blue jeep housed within.

Laurie sits for another five minutes before heading into the kitchens. Danny Provost, her top trainee is there and gives her his usual hug. The tall light haired young man towers over her by almost three inches.

"Welcome back boss."

"Thanks Danny, it's good to be back."

As she settles into her routine of putting on protective hairnet and gloves she can feel the tension start to leave. For as long as she can remember, the best way for her to relax is to step into a kitchen and cook.

"What's our special menu item tonight boss?"

"Pizza. I found a fantastic recipe that takes just minutes to put together."

"We're not going to have to twirl the dough over our heads are we?"

Laurie smiles at the question and pulls out the dough that she'd had Max assemble earlier that afternoon.

"No Danny. We need to let the dough rise a few more minutes and while we're waiting for it, I'll show you a quick and easy sauce for impromptu pizza pies."

"Like this one?"

"Yep."

She pulls out one of their house jars of tomato sauce. Then she pulls out some fresh basil and oregano as well as some garlic cloves. She minces the herbs and the garlic then adds them to the sauce. She pulls out a small spoon and tastes it, then has Danny do the same.

He looks at her and nods. "That's good boss."

"We'll let it sit for a bit, so that the flavors can mingle together better then we'll top our dough with it. In the meantime, we need some sausage, pepperoni and grated mozzarella cheese."

Laurie sets Danny to work slicing pepperoni and grating the cheese. She pulls out several pans and lightly greases them. Pulling out a small hunk of dough she shapes it and gently stretches it without tearing it. Danny watches as she throws it up in the air and neatly catches it again. She then places the dough in the pan and keeps stretching it until it almost covers the edge of the pan.

Danny looks at her as she opens a drawer and comes out with a tool that reminds him of a steam roller with spikes. Laurie looks at him and smiles. "This is called a roller docker. When making a thin crusted pizza we need the crust to be able to breathe or it'll get pockets in it and cause it to cook unevenly."

She takes the roller docker and rolls it around the outer edges of the dough before bringing it to the middle and rolling it. She shows Danny what it looks like before taking out a small ladle and pours a small bit of sauce onto the crust. She carefully spreads the sauce out.

"Enough to cover it without overpowering the other ingredients. Now we take a bit of the cheese, and sprinkle it on then the pepperoni, in a circular pattern, edges touching, and now the sausage. Great job. All we do now is add more cheese on top. For extra cheese, it's about one quarter to an extra half cup of cheese. Clean the edges so that the cheese doesn't burn and pop it into the oven."

Danny looks at her as she cleans up the counter. "How long does it bake?"

"It depends on the oven Danny. If you were to make this at home, maybe 10 -15 minutes tops. As we have industrial ovens at the restaurants, it's about 5-10 minutes. A lot depends on the temperature of your oven, how thick your crust is and how heavy your toppings are."

Eight minutes later she pulls it out of the oven. Grabbing a spatula, she runs it along the bottom of the crust and gently eases it onto a cutting board. She then grabs a utensil that looks like a solid metal letter'd'.

"This is called a rocker knife. It's slightly easier to slice your pizza with one of these." Four quick rocks with the knife and Danny is eating one of the first slices of pizza made by the restaurant.

"I can see why they called you Cookie. This is good."

"Some of them still call me Cookie and thank you."

Danny finishes his pizza and washes his hands before turning to her and asking her the one question that's been on his mind since her arrival.

"Are you really retiring from the Navy and Dawes Guys?"

"I'm thinking about it. Why do you ask?"

"I just…I like my job and want to keep it, if I can." Laurie can tell by looking into his light blue eyes, that he's seriously afraid that he'll be out of a job with her retirement. She reaches up and ruffles his bangs.

"I have no intention of replacing you. You are the best cook I have on staff with the exception of Max."

"Yeah but if you retire doesn't that mean you'll be in here more often?"

"Not necessarily. I do have three other restaurants you know, and I'm hoping to open at least one more. I'm going to be doing some actual location shopping during the next two weeks."

"Does that mean you'll be leaving soon?"

"I have to sign some paperwork and then I'll be back here. I have a lot of new recipes to show you."

"Cool. You know, we could make pizza our Thursday night special."

"More like Tuesday or Wednesday. But I can see your point."

"If we add new toppings or maybe even let them come back long enough to put their own toppings on while we bake it, we could increase sales. Maybe even be competition for the big chains."

"We can try it for three months and see what happens. If we get a positive response, yeah, we'll add it to the menu. Keep in mind though…these are busy kitchens. We don't want a customer to fall or get burned."

"So we set up a toppings bar on those nights." Laurie smiles as he chatters excitedly about the pizza. This is what she'd hoped to see from him when she'd brought him in off the streets. No longer a defiant, scared kid, but an almost confident young man, just about ready to be in his own restaurant.

Max softly closes the door as he and Tony watch Laurie work with Danny. Tony is impressed with her patience and says as much to Max when the other man leads him upstairs.

"She's really devoted to her people."

"That she is kid, that she is."


	18. Chapter 18

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 18

Max softly closes the door as he and Tony watch Laurie work with Danny. Tony is impressed with her patience and says as much to Max when the other man leads him upstairs.

"She's really devoted to her people."

"That she is kid, that she is."

Tony follows Max upstairs still marveling that he'd found Laurie. Admittedly he hasn't seen her face to face yet, but is hoping that the day to come will prove fruitful.

"Hey Max, thanks for letting me stay here."

"No problem Tony. We have the room and the boss likes company." He opens a door and Tony can see the setting sun in the window straight across from him. He puts his backpack on the chair by the bed and turns to Max.

"May I ask a personal question?"

"How'd we meet? She found me one day about twenty five years ago." He motions for Tony to sit down while he tells his story.

"I was out of work, homeless and almost starving to death. One day I'm passing by this restaurant, the paint is still so new you could almost smell it, and this beautiful young lady steps out the front door and asks me if I'd like to join her for a meal."

"What did you say?"

"No. Hey, I had my pride. She told me that her date had dumped her and she needed cheering up. She never could lie worth a damn, don't care what her training is." Tony hides a smile at that information.

"She persisted until I finally caved in and joined her. That's when she asked me if I'd like a job."

"Bet that surprised you."

"You know it kid. I just sat there dumbfounded for almost a whole minute; then I asked her who the hell she was trying to mess with."

"She told you straight up didn't she?"

"You got that right. Told me that my background didn't make a damn bit of difference to her. If I wanted a job that not only paid well but also gave me free room and board I had to tell her within the next two days."

"Why two days?"

"I asked her that too and she said she was going overseas, with her SEAL team. I laughed at her. Told her that there were no women in the SEALs. That's when her teammates came out of the kitchen asking her if she'd found someone to watch her restaurant while they were deployed."

Tony mulls that over then thinks about the young man in the kitchen. "Is Danny one of her team mates' kids?"

"No son, he's one of her kids." At Tony's startled look Max tells him, "Danny is one of her strays. Most of us who work here are someone that she's adopted and brought in."

"Adopted?"

"Nothing formal, like paperwork, just brought in out of a bad situation and given a chance to live again. By the time she's through with him, Danny will either be one of this city's top chefs or the manager of his own restaurant."

"Why do you say that?"

"She knows in whatever way she knows, what exactly each of us is best at. I'm great with bookkeeping and management; Danny has a rare talent for cooking. You haven't met Holly, but she was one of Laurie's strays too. She was one of our best waitresses and a damn fine hostess."

He opens a door and steps into the next room, coming back with a framed photograph.

"That's Holly and her husband Richard Thorpe. They live in Japan now and Holly's pregnant with their first child."

Tony's studying the picture. The two brides look almost identical, from their blonde hair to their smiling faces. The main difference is that Holly was wearing a white dress while Laurie was wearing dress whites.

"They look like twins."

"They're not; when they had the blood work done, they checked for any familial genes. The really funny weird thing is not just how similar the girls look, but they both married Richard Thorpe."

Tony brings the picture closer to the window. By the light of the almost faded sun, he can see two men on either side of the women. The woman he knows to be Laurie is standing beside a man in a Marine uniform. The other woman, Holly, is standing next to a man dressed in a stylized martial arts uniform. Both couples look excited and happy.

The intercom buzzes and Laurie's voice fills the room. "You two gonna stay up there all night or would our guest like to come down and eat?"

"On our way boss."

As he leads the way back downstairs, Max tells Tony, "She likes to let people know that they need to eat. She does accept that some of them might eat at different hours than we do though."

Tony chuckles as Max leads the way back to the kitchens. He notices a closed sign in the front window as they pass the dining room and asks Max how they can afford to be closed during the week.

"Thursdays are our night off. We allow one guest to come in on that night but no one else. We also test new recipes on Thursdays."

Before Tony can comment, Danny comes in carrying a large pizza topped with Tony's favorites: sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese. The youth sets the pizza on the table and Max asks, "Tony as our special guest would you like the first slice?"

"Sure. Wow that looks great."

Laurie comes out with a smaller tray. This one has two jars: one of parmesan cheese, the other crushed dried peppers. She also has drinks for everyone. Tony watches as the other three all choose either water or soda pop. There's a beer on the tray, but Tony grabs a soda instead, not wanting to drink alone.

"Why the choices?"

Laurie tells him, "We all have choices Tony. Danny here is too young for beer. I don't like the taste."

Max looks at him and nods at Tony's dawning understanding, "I'm a recovering alcoholic. I've been sober for 25 years now. I don't dare take a drink, or I'll be back out where I started."

"Still, how'd you know what my favorite drink is?"

The others share a small chuckle at the question and Tony knows he isn't the first one to ask it. Laurie tells Tony that it's part of her many talents. Tony nods and takes his first bite of the pizza.

"Oh my God." Tony's eyes close; Max and Danny look him over to make certain nothing is wrong.

"I think I've died and gone to pizza heaven." At Tony's comment Max and Danny laugh while Laurie gives Tony a smile.

"Thank you Tony, that's the nicest compliment I've had in a long time." She tries and fails to hide a yawn. "Sorry, guys, jet lag finally catching up to me." She yawns again.

"Go to bed boss, we'll take good care of Tony for you."

"My apologies for being a bad hostess Tony. Would you consider joining me for lunch tomorrow?"

"It'd be my honor." He notices that she said lunch not breakfast.

Laurie stands up and starts weaving. Tony is instantly by her side, as are Max and Danny. Tony picks her up; when she offers no resistance he looks at Max.

"Show me where to take her."

"Follow me."

Max leads Tony to Laurie's suite of rooms and Tony lays her on the bed. She falls asleep almost too quickly for either man's liking. Tony motions for Danny to come watch over her while he and Max step outside the room to confer.

"When did she get in?" Tony's voice is low in deference to the woman still in the room.

"Just before I came to pick you up."

"I suppose getting a doctor in here to see her is out of the question."

Danny pipes up from his position by the bed. "Normally she sleeps when she gets in, but I don't think she did today. Something was troubling her. She was on the phone when I first came in, I noticed the light on when I put my jacket in the office."

"Any idea what's on her mind?" in a way Tony wants it to be him, then again, that could be a bad thing if she decides she doesn't like him.

Max shakes his head no, "Not really other than the fact that as of today she's retired from active duty."

"Is that what they were talking about when we arrived? She's going to be opening more restaurants?" In the dream, she was opening a restaurant. She was a Navy SEAL and was going to retire and open a restaurant. The hope in Tony's heart starts to blossom.

"It's possible. She seldom says something unless she means it."

"She doesn't look old enough to retire," muses Tony.

"Don't let her looks deceive you Tony. She's a lot tougher than she appears to be right now. Out of her 43 years, she's been part of the navy at least 25 of them."

"Still…"

"I know kid. Come on let's check up on her then get you settled in for the night."

They re-enter the room and Tony comes over to the bed. He reaches down and reads her pulse like Ducky taught him years ago. He smiles as he looks up at Max and Danny.

"Normal for her I think."

"About two beats slower than the rest of the world? Yeah, that's our girl."

The men leave the room and head back downstairs. They sit down to their now cold food. Tony picks up his pizza as he says

"Hey guys, I wasn't kidding earlier. The pizza is really good!"

"Thanks Tony. If you like Danny can bring out some dessert?"

"Hmm…can I have the pizza leftovers instead?" the other two laugh and agree to let Tony have whatever is left of the pizza. Danny goes into the kitchen and comes back out with a small plate and a box of saran wrap. Max tells Tony that there is a small refrigerator in each suite as he hands Tony two beers and the wrapped up pizza.

Tony offers to help clean up and gets affronted looks from both men. Max tells him in no uncertain terms that as Tony is a guest all he's responsible for is eating what's on his plate. Danny nods in agreement. Tony thanks them as he heads back upstairs, pizza and beers firmly in hand.


	19. Chapter 19

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 19

As Tony enters the room, he notices once again the connecting door between his suite and Laurie's. He places the pizza and beer into the small refrigerator in his room then cautiously opens the door separating him from the woman in his dreams. He crosses over to her bed and gently traces her face with a finger before heading back to his own room.

Ignoring the pizza and beers, Tony heads into his bathroom and turns the shower on. Stepping into the warm sheet of water, he briefly wonders why she didn't say anything to him before he gives himself a head slap. "Get a grip, DiNozzo, the woman is suffering from jetlag. Consider yourself lucky that she managed to stay awake long enough to cook your favorite meal."

And she had known what his favorite meal was before she knew of his arrival. She'd been making it just as they drove up. Tony shuts off the water and towels himself dry; grateful for the sweats that Tim had made sure he packed. For some reason the room he's in has a bit of a chill. Tony thinks nothing more about it as he grabs the remote and lying on the bed, turns on the television. He keeps the volume on low; the connecting door is still open and he doesn't want to wake her up with the noise.

Two hours later, Tony wakes up from a light doze. The room is colder than it had been and he can't remember where the climate controls are. Deciding that fate knows where it wants him to be, Tony silently stands up and walks over to the connecting door. As he stands over her wondering if he'll be welcome, she rouses just enough to tell him that the bed is big enough for two and to come get warm. Tony slowly eases under the covers not wanting to wake her more than he already has. He shivers a few times before pulling her into his arms. Gradually the combined warmth of their bodies lulls him into sleep.

Around two a.m. Laurie wakes up, wondering what is different. The heavy weight of an arm around her waist and soft, slow breathing at the back of her neck tells her that she has an intruder and she knows instinctively that it's Tony. Deciding not to wake him, she attempts to go back to sleep savoring the feeling of a man's arms around her for the first time in almost 20 years.

Tony snuggles closer, murmuring her name. She realizes then that she hadn't been the only one affected by the dream. A callused hand reaches up and brings her face to his.

"You okay?" His voice is husky with sleep and she smiles against his fingers.

"I'm fine; I haven't had a bed partner for quite a few years."

"You don't mind my being here?"

"No, I don't mind. I kinda like it."

She rubs her cheek against his chest and he chuckles. "Your hair tickles. Have you always been this blonde?"

"They tell me it was darker, more of a gold hue when I was a child. It was white by the time I was fifteen."

"Are you really retiring from the Navy?"

"Mmm…both teams have had me for almost 30 years, it's time to let the younger pups play."

Her hand starts caressing his chest as he asks her what her plans are for the future.

"Well, I plan on cuddling with my friend Tony for a few days, then go to my cabin to get some sketching done."

"What about after the cabin?" He likes the fact that she wants to cuddle with him and is hoping that she means to include him when she heads for her cabin when she says:

"I was thinking about a trip to the east coast."

Tony says nothing for a few seconds as he plays with the hand that's been caressing his chest. "So, just cuddling huh? No scampering around the room half nude or chasing each other down the hallway naked?"

The gentle sexual teasing warms her more than he knows. She was right about this man. On the outside he might be the world's biggest flirt but on the inside there is a lot more to Anthony DiNozzo Jr. than meets the eye. She sighs in regret as she tells him,

"For tonight at least it's just cuddling. I'm too tired and sore for anything else right now."

"What happened? I know that you can't relate details but I take it that the mission was a success."

"Yes it was. We acquired our target with minor injuries and no casualties."

"How minor are your injuries?"

"You're reading me pretty good there Mr. DiNozzo."

"That's _Special_ Agent Anthony DiNozzo and that dream was two days worth of information in a six hour time period." His hand brushes against her neck and he can almost feel the wince of pain. He reaches out for the table lamp, being careful not to jar the bed too much.

In the soft light he can see fading bruise marks around her neck extending down along the line of both shoulders. He gently traces her neck, wanting to ease her pain and not knowing how.

"You're doing fine Tony."

The statement brings him out of his reverie and he runs a hand through his hair. He looks at the shirt she's wearing as he tells her that if she wants cuddles then they need to get some healing applied to her bruises. "We don't need you crying all night because I end up hurting you more than you already are."

"You'd cry more than I would."

She's right about that. His worried green eyes stare into hers silently asking her to let him remove the polo shirt so that he can examine the bruises beneath. She nods and he helps her sit up. He looks at her, "I don't suppose this shirt just melts away with a touch does it?"

She shakes her head and eases the shirt off before he can stop her. He curses softly as he has her lie back down and gently starts healing her shoulders.

"Why?"

"It was necessary in order for the op to go down without any serious injury to him. I'm one of the few that can withstand his particular abilities."

"Is he the reason you're retiring?"

"Partly, the other is that I'm tired of all the politics and war games."

He says nothing and soon she tells him that she wants to visit her cabin the next day and he's welcome to come with her. When he agrees she thanks him then moans as he finds a particularly sore spot.

Tony adjusts the small lamp so that he can see more clearly. He tenses as he realizes just how severe some of the bruises are.

"Are you certain you'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow? You're a mass of bruises. I don't know how you're still coherent, let alone awake."

She can hear the worry in his voice and carefully turns to face him.

"Tony, I'm okay. Tony look at me." When he finally looks at her, she caresses his face and brings his lips down to hers. "I'm going to be fine. Come and lie down with me; I need your warmth."

Tony cradles her face in his hands as he leans in for another kiss. This time when he withdraws he stops to rub his nose against hers, making them both laugh at the sensation. Tony shuts the light off as he eases back under the covers, pulling her close to him.

"Just hold me Tony."

"Yes ma'am." His cheeky reply gets a soft head slap for response.

"Don't call me ma'am…I work for a living."

"Shhh…get some sleep."

Laurie lays her head on his chest. His hands are still lightly running over her shoulders and neck. With a sigh she slips back into sleep. Tony keeps his hands running over the bruises on her back, until he too falls asleep.

Mentally Tony is knocking on Laurie's walls. When she grants him entrance, he stops and realizes what he's done and what it could possibly mean.

"Who are you that I trust you this much?" His question reminds her of the night before, in the dream when they'd had almost the same conversation.

"You want full version or Reader's Digest?"

"I want to know why I just fell asleep, cuddling your half naked body. That's not a normal DiNozzo reaction; not where a good looking woman is concerned."

Laurie summons up two mental chairs and motions for him to sit down when she sits in the other one. Instead he kneels in front of her and takes her hands in his.

"Help me to understand. What is going on here Laurie?"

She sighs and looks at their joined hands.

"You had the same dream last night that I did? Where we meet at NCIS and things progress from there?" when he nods she continues, "The dream almost told us what you want to know."

"Regarding the recognition bond?" When she doesn't reply he looks up. She's closed her eyes, thinking about something that she's not sharing with him yet. Tony keeps a hand around both of hers as he reaches out to caress her face. Her eyes open and she keeps them lowered as he tells her

"I can wrap my mind around that idea; I'm not totally into it though because I honestly don't recall ever meeting you before today or even before the dream happened."

Both hands are now caressing hers, and she can tell that he's assessing the calluses and few scars that have occurred over the years. Before she can say or do anything he speaks.

"You know the martial arts and have some expertise with small fire arms. You know how to inflict pain, but it bothers you to do so. You're leaving the SEALs; you know how to kill and have done so even when it bothers your healer's soul to do so."

"The Hippocratic Oath means nothing on a battle field or warzone. I don't know how to answer your question Tony. I don't know when we could have met that our bond could have formed."

Tony keeps his hands on hers and asks her what she looks like in full combat gear. She shows him and he knows that he's seen her at least once…if he could just figure out from where.

He flips through his own memories and the first thing he comes up with is his time as agent afloat. If Tony ever had a time that he could compare to his worst nightmare, that was probably the time.

The next thing is the airport as he waited to come home from his stint on the Seahawk. A group of nine men carrying backpacks and duffle bags disembarked from a flight that arrived the same time his had. Two of the men were escorting a third who was mildly swearing in Gaelic.

"Duncan had twisted his ankle when we boarded. It was almost impossible to heal him on that flight with all the turbulence. We had a mere fifteen minutes between flights that day and no time to do any real good."

"I take it you eventually healed him then."

"Naturally."

"Did we ever meet at Bethesda?"

"No, not officially anyway."

Tony can remember one night, just before Gibbs came in and told him that he didn't have permission to die; a softly callused hand touching his forehead while another rested on his chest; Dr. Pitt standing beside the person quietly asking "Can you save him?" and the equally quiet yet reassuring response, "I can and so can he."

The next thing Tony knew: "Gibbs head slapped me and told me that I couldn't die, but I could almost swear that I heard another voice telling me that I wanted to live. That Richie was telling me to stay alive as he had someone he wanted me to meet."

During the course of the conversation, Laurie's mental figure has changed back into sweats and a t-shirt. Tony stands up and extends a hand to help her up. Then he sits down and pulls her onto his lap; she lays her head on his shoulder content to stay where she is.

"You know, I could get used to this," he muses softly, "coming home and holding you, cuddling with you on the couch or in front of the fireplace." He remembers holding hands with Jeanne; how she'd badgered him to tell her that he loved her. The come on she'd made when he hadn't had sex with her for the first few dates. How she'd almost forced him into buying a house with her.

"I'd like that too. Especially the cuddling part."

"What about the fireplace? Do you have one of those around here?" his tone is so sincere that she looks up at him; he's serious.

"Actually there's one in my office downstairs and another at my cabin." She thinks for a moment and their mental setting changes from bare walls and chairs to hardwood floor, a log cabin type wall with a fireplace that has three small logs crackling merrily away. Their chairs are exchanged for a soft couch and Tony stretches out on it, holding her close the entire time.

He sighs and continues telling her, "I want someone who will trust me with her secrets; little by little one by one." He'd waited for Jeanne to tell him about her father; for Jenny to tell Gibbs what she was having him do; for Ziva to tell him about Michael.

"Will you understand if I can't tell you everything, just due to the nature of what I am?"

"I can try providing you tell me what you can about yourself."

"I take it that you don't like little black marks or things that say Top Secret/Eyes Only."

"Depends on if that's what is in the file."

"It is. I'm black ops…or I was."

"So in fifty years you can tell me everything?"

"Maybe sooner if all goes well."

They lie on the mental couch not saying anything as their physical bodies sleep. Tony is amazed at how content he is; how relaxed he feels. Laurie's almost lulled into sleep when Tony asks her about soul-names.

"I honestly don't know much about them Tony. I vaguely recall reading the books and in them the woodland elves, the ones that had to hide during the day, trusting no one but themselves, and hunt at night all had a soul-name. When their home was destroyed, they journeyed to the land of the sunfolk. The sunfolk had no need for soul-names and therefore they had none. The chieftain of the wolf-riders, his name was Cutter, had a soul name but his recognized Leetah did not."

"With as much hiding as you and I have done, I wouldn't be surprised if we had soul-names."

Laurie nods at his statement, and watches with tired amusement as he starts searching her mind for clues as to what her soul name could be.

"We have several days to explore each other's minds Tony. Like I said, I'm retired; I have all kinds of time on my hands."

He perks up when she says that, "I have two whole weeks to do nothing but explore? When can I start?"

"After we wake up; I want to make sure that you don't get lost when you go back to your own mind."

Tony can see her mental exhaustion starting to creep up on her and contents himself with the knowledge that he's found her and she wants to get to know him. He pulls her closer, watches her sleep for several minutes before finally succumbing to sleep himself.

A/N: Once again as I borrow heavily from the graphic novel _ElfQuest_ and its wonderful authors Wendy and Richard Pini for their explanation of recognition, I heartily claim nothing other than the love of a good book where that particular series of stories is concerned.


	20. Chapter 20

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 20

At four a.m., Laurie's internal alarm clock wakes her up. For a moment she lies there, enjoying the warmth of Tony lying next to her. He's spooned up against her, holding her close to him and she can feel his breath against her hair. She reluctantly slips out of bed so that she can relieve her bladder. When she comes out of the bathroom, his hands are searching the bed for her missing warmth.

Laurie slips back into bed, and Tony pulls her against him, hugging her close. She lays her head on his chest and she can hear his heartbeat slowing down. She strokes his arm, reassuring him that she's there and his heart slows to its normal steady pace. Without realizing it she falls back asleep completely at ease with her companion.

Tony wakes up fully an hour later. To his body's way of thinking it's almost seven a.m., not five. He lays there for a full minute, marveling at the peace he's feeling. With a sigh he decides to shower and dress before waking up the beauty beside him. He pads over to his room and picks up his overnight bag, bringing it and his back pack into Laurie's room.

He sets them on the floor and picks out a soft pair of jeans and black t-shirt. As there is still a bit of chill in the rooms he also pulls out a gray Ohio State sweatshirt to put on if the chill gets to be too much.

He glances back at the bed as he enters her bathroom and smiles at yet another similarity between them. She's sleeping on her side and as he watches she pulls the pillow he'd been using towards her and places her head where his had lain.

Ten minutes later and he's sitting beside her on the bed, rubbing the water out of his hair with a sky-blue towel (yes, Alix they are nice thick, thirsty towels…soft ones too ^_^) He reaches out to caress her face when he notices the scar on her left hand. As it's partially buried under his pillow, he can't tell too much about it, other than it apparently went deep and happened a long time ago.

He lightly starts tracing her cheek and she sleepily turns over, blinking at him owlishly as she tries to focus. Unable to resist, he leans down and kisses her

"That's a great wake up call." Her voice is still slightly husky due to just waking up.

"Mmm…I could get used to it, how about you?" Tony freezes when the words leave his lips. He doesn't realize how much he means them until they are spoken. His confusion at how deep his emotions actually go is echoed in his eyes.

Laurie raises her left hand to his cheek "It's okay Tony; we're taking things one day at a time remember? There is no rushing on either side unless one of us says so."

Tony's relief is almost palpable and he leans down to kiss her again relishing her responsiveness. When he finally lets her come up for air again she says, "But if you don't quit that soon, we're going to be doing a lot more than kissing."

Her droll comment elicits a blush; something that he didn't know he was capable of. Rather than attract more attention to himself he tells her, "In a way I wouldn't mind doing more, but in this case I think you're right. We're rushing a bit, even for me."

He stands up and she sighs as he leaves the bed. She looks up at him when he says, "Why don't you go shower and I'll start some breakfast for us."

When she nods her acceptance he leans in once more and gives her a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Join me when you're finished; I'm sure I'll need some assistance by then."

She starts to sit up when she realizes that she's naked from the waist up. She pulls a sheet up and just before he leaves the room she says, "Thank you Tony; for not rushing things. If you want coffee just touch the brew button on the pot, it should be ready."

He heads out the door and she stretches sighing at the events of the previous night. Both of them have been affected by the dream and with the possibility of recognition, she needs to consult with an expert. Contemplating her options, she steps into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later and she's wearing jeans, comfortable shoes and a loose cotton shirt. She pulls a purple sweater out of the closet and wraps it around her waist for the journey to her cabin later that day. She smiles when she realizes that aside from an odd twinge every now and again, her bruises are almost gone and so is the pain. She heads downstairs, squeezing the water out of her hair with a towel.

Tony's in the kitchen, looking surprisingly at home. The skillet is heated and he's pouring the last of some batter into the bottom of the pan. He looks over at her when she stops in the doorway.

"Hey beautiful, you feeling better?"

She nods and tosses the towel into the hamper that is kept in the ante room. She runs her fingers through her hair in a quick attempt at combing, before she stops at the sink and washes her hands. She walks over to the cupboard to bring out plates and silverware, secretly watching Tony as he flips the pancakes and whistles to himself.

"Maybe I should hire you as a part-time cook?"

Her gentle teasing brings a smile to his face as he turns off the stove and carries the pancakes to the table. She sets the maple syrup in the microwave to warm it up and brings out a small jar of peanut butter. Tony raises an eyebrow at the peanut butter but says nothing else about it. Laurie shrugs it off; she's always preferred peanut butter and syrup with her pancakes and waffles.

Reaching into the fridge she pulls out the milk and some orange juice. She sets these down and then pulls out two large glasses. She pours milk into hers and the juice into his. Once again he realizes that this is part of who and what she is; this instinctive knowledge of what he prefers to drink when he's having pancakes.

It occurs to him that she'd known he normally drinks coffee in the mornings. She'd said as much when she'd told him about the coffee pot. Only when he's eating an actual meal does he forego the caffeinated beverage.

Once they've finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen Tony asks her what the rest of the day will entail. Laurie drapes the dishtowel she'd been using over the back of a chair as she thinks about the day ahead.

"I was planning on going to my cabin. You can tag along if you'd like to; we can take a walk afterwards."

"Will I need to take anything with me?"

"You might need a jacket, other than that not really. Unless you want to grab some bottles of water out of the fridge. I don't think I stocked up the last time I was home."

Tony nods and heads upstairs for his jacket. As a side thought he empties his backpack of everything except his camera and goes back downstairs where he pulls several bottles of water out of the fridge. He then walks to the front of the store where Laurie is just pulling up in her Jeep Compass Sport 4x4.

Tony hands Laurie two bottles of water, and then sets his pack in the back. Laurie motions for him to buckle up as she puts the waters into the drink console. Once he's ready, she puts the vehicle into gear and they head out of town.

Tony is in awe when he sees the Rocky Mountains at such a close range.

"How do you keep the tourists out?

"This road is not on any map and few people dare venture this far out."

"Why? It's beautiful."

"And until a few years ago, extremely hazardous. My friends and I spent a great deal of time and money to find a secluded hideaway; this is the one I chose."

"You mean that there are more of them out here?"

"Mmm. Normally I would have just teleported, but I wanted you to see why I love living up here."

She pulls into an underground garage and then turns to face him. He's still in awe at what little he's seen.

"Come on Tony, if you decide to visit you'll need access codes; I can give them to you when we leave."

"Access codes? You live in the side of a mountain; who's going to try entering a mountain fortress?"

"You'd be surprised. And the codes allow you entrance to the house. Without it, you'll be stuck outside. The system is one of part of a high tech security system designed to protect the occupants within."

"It's like Smart House…made for TV movie starring Katey Sagal and Kevin Kilner." A soft whap on the back of his head brings his attention back to the present. He gives her a sheepish shrug and she smiles as she types in the current password. Tony looks it over critically and says that it could be broken easily.

"Not really. The code changes every week; I give a mental command so therefore I'm the only one who knows what the code is unless I tell someone else. Come on in and I'll open up some windows. It's going to be a warm day and the house needs airing out."

As she wanders from room to room Tony can see a visible relaxing in her walk. That's when he realizes that while she can create a mental sanctuary for her mind, this is the physical representation. This is the spot that she comes to recharge her batteries be they mental or physical.

Laurie glides back over to him and Tony smiles at the happiness reflected in her eyes. She gives him a hug which he returns and then she asks him if he'd like to take a walk with her.

"What about the alarm?"

"Turned off while we're out here."

She opens the back door and Tony catches his breath at the view in front of him. Evergreen trees line the perimeter around the house. There's a faint path leading into the forest and riotous cascades of flowers proceed around the house like a colorful moat. As he watches a deer steps to the edge of the path, then calmly walks away. She takes his hand in hers as she starts walking down the path. As they get closer to the entrance of the forest, Tony can almost hear the gurgling of a brook and softly asks her,

"How do you manage to tear yourself away from all this?"

"I can leave since I know that I can always come back here. I don't have to worry about where my home is; it's here. Admittedly it has been a bit lonely sometimes, but I'm hoping to change that someday."

"Anyone in particular you gonna share this with?"

She looks up at the wistful tone in his voice. She can see longing in his green eyes; a yearning for home and someone special to love him. She steps closer to him and takes his other hand in hers.

"I'm looking at my main candidate right now."

His gaze is locked on hers and he can see the sincerity in her eyes. Her hands have tightened slightly on his, emphasizing the truth behind her words. He shivers slightly and for a moment she wonders if she's scaring him when a breeze alerts her to the changing weather conditions. The temperature is dropping…fast. She takes a firmer grip on his right hand and tells him to follow her. Cold rain is pelting them when they finally reach the porch.

"Damn, where'd that come from?" Tony's grateful he'd kept his sweatshirt on and is almost wishing he'd kept his jacket with him.

"Unexpected showers and snow storms aren't that unusual this high up." She opens the door and ushers him inside. He realizes that the porch leads to the laundry room as he picks up a clean towel from the dryer and hands it to her.

"Thanks. Sorry about that," she gives him a droll look, "for some reason I forgot to check the weather channel this morning."

He laughs at the expression on her face as they head into the kitchen. They're sitting at the table when it finally dawns on her that his hand is still in hers and he's making no effort to remove it. Then she realizes that the hand he's holding is her left one; the one with the heart shaped scar. He's caressing the scar in an absent minded manner and she can tell that he's wondering just what would have caused that kind of scar.

A/N: Next chapter...the truth behind Laurie's scar.


	21. Chapter 21

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 21

Tony turns her hand over to trace the line of the scar with his forefinger.

"I caught a burning brand."

He looks at her startled as she nods at her left hand. He's thinking of the cattle brands he's seen in some of the more western style restaurants he's eaten in over the years.

"Actually it was a torch, a branch that was on fire and aimed at my martial arts instructor. He'd been targeted for assassination and I intervened. In deflecting the brand it hit the assassin, killing him instead."

"Why didn't you heal this?" Even as he asks, he's certain he knows what her answer is. Her reply is his confirmation.

"I was in a hurry. I – come on let's go to the living room, this is a bit of a lengthy story to tell."

As they walk into the living room, Tony can tell by looking out the bay window that the rain is steadily turning into snow. Laurie turns to her left; there's a well-laid fireplace with a full rack of firewood in the corner and she kneels down to light it. Tony glances around the room. There are two recliners facing the fireplace, there is a sofa directly under the window and another doorway leads out to yet another part of the house to the left of the fireplace. The mantle above the fireplace is laden with small crystal sculptures. On the wall across from the window framed artwork graces the wall. The wall to the far right is covered with books and to Tony's surprise, DVDs. Tony walks over to the window pulls the cord that closes the draperies.

Leaving just enough of the curtains open to let in the fading light he turns on the lamp that's resting on the nearest end table. He then sits down in one of the recliners and invites her to join him. To his surprise, she shakes her head and starts pacing in front of the fire.

"What happened?" His softly worded question reminds her that she's not alone with her thoughts. She also has some explaining to do. She takes a deep breath as she turns to face him.

"First of all, I need to apologize to you for not explaining to you just who and what I am. I am not just a cook or medic with the Navy SEALs and the team formerly known as Dawes Guys. I am also the number sixth ranked Ninja/Samurai in the world. I received that scar on my hand almost 25 years ago, at what we call a round robin tournament.

"At the time, it was the first tournament of its kind. As you may know just due to their history ninjas and samurai are considered to be mortal enemies. Several decades ago, five prominent instructors chose to learn the best of both worlds and train their students in this new martial art. It was a preliminary exercise and the top ranking students from most of the martial arts compounds were allowed the chance to observe the training that their contemporaries received and compare it to their own. This way, when the actual ranking tournament happens there isn't as much surprise that could turn the tide of the championship.

"The top four martial arts compounds were the ones hosting the event. The Stormwind, Miyadori, Yamaguchi and Takeda compounds all had students that were participating. Just after my master was attacked, I sensed something wrong. Something similar was going on at the other compounds."

"The contest was an opportune time for an attack I take it?"

"Most of the compounds had at least one student involved if not more. My master forbade me to enter the competition itself, but several of the other masters intervened on my behalf and allowed me to come as part of the medical staff; my healing might be needed is what they argued…little did they know."

"One of the students was injured; the same one you just assisted?"

She nods at his astuteness. She's not really surprised by his intuitiveness; he had been a cop after all.

"Richard Lewis Thorpe, the martial artist in that picture Max showed you, had been injured when his compound was attacked. His brother was sent on to the tournament and Rick's injuries almost ignored until I arrived and insisted on seeing him."

"You chose to heal him rather than yourself."

"Yeah, I grabbed some ice out of the refrigerator and was just starting to heal it when I felt his pain. That is another of my abilities; when my healing is needed I am an empath."

"You know who is hurt, where they hurt and how to heal them."

She nods at his insight. Tony rises from the chair and puts his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. She leans into his embrace as she continues.

"I spent the rest of the round robin bouncing from Rick's side to the others. Needless to say, I didn't think much about my hand until it was too late to do anything."

"What about your master?"

"He died shortly after the war ended. He never recovered from his shock after the assassin's attack."

Tony gives her a hug, knowing that she needs the emotional support even if she won't say so. He looks over her shoulder and inhales sharply.

"I realize that you have a few more things to tell me, but did you forget to mention a pet or two?"

There is a huge white wolf standing in the doorway that leads to the kitchen. The animal is growling under its breath and Tony's not quite sure that the growl isn't directed at him.

"Pets? I don't have any—Thunder! You are here. I missed you on the trail earlier. Please, come over here and meet Tony. He's a special friend of mine."

The wolf, Thunder growls and stands his ground.

"Tony, this is Thunder; he's a -,"

"Wolf."

"That too; he's my protector when I come here. I saved his cub a few years ago and since then he's been a good friend whenever I manage to come home."

Tony thinks carefully before carefully kneeling down to the wolf's level, extending his right hand and meeting its gaze. He's hoping that the sincerity in his voice will also show in his eyes and manner.

"Thunder, I thank you for protecting our friend Laurie. I don't know how long I'll be here, but I'd be honored to consider you one of my friends. I would hope that you will continue to protect her even when I'm not around."

Thunder slowly pads closer to where Tony is and gently takes Tony's extended hand between his massive jaws. There is a soft almost subtle pinch and then Thunder lets go of him. Tony closes his eyes sitting passively as Thunder sniffs him from head to toe. A soft nudge from a cold nose against his hand has him opening his eyes again.

"Thunder accepts you and is honored to be your friend as well."

The wolf walks back to the kitchen and from there to the laundry room where it lies down on a folded blanket that's lying between the washer and dryer. Tony stares at Laurie.

"Did the weather bring him in or did I just miss seeing him on the trail and are there anymore friends I need to know about?"

"It was the weather. He has an access point through the laundry room. All of the forest creatures are invited here, but so far Thunder and his cub Three Moons are the only ones that come to visit. He must have scented you earlier and came to investigate."

"Where is his pack? Wolves aren't normally loners are they?"

"No they're not, but Thunder is old and can't get food like he used to. His den isn't that far from here and he likes to visit when I'm home."

"His expression was almost human."

Laurie caresses his face. "You handled him very well. He'll probably watch you while you're here, but I think he senses that you can be trusted."

"Really?" He gives her an exaggerated leer and she laughs at him.

"Yes, really. Come on, I'll fix us some lunch while you pick out a movie for later this afternoon."

She opens a secret door next to the fireplace and Tony is in electronic/cinematic heaven. A state of the art LG 47" Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV, is hiding behind the panels. A sleek black stand supports the television as well as the DVD player.

"Anything goes?" he shouts.

"Wasn't that a musical?" Her reply stuns him. No one else would have made a connection between his question and the 1956 musical. Thunder wakes up at the commotion in the kitchen and seeing Laurie busy with lunch preparations pads over to where Tony is staring at the variety of DVDs.

"Wurf?"

"Oh hey Thunder, what do you wanna watch?" The absent minded question is greeted with a paw on a stack of movies to Tony's right.

"Dances With Wolves? Okay if that's what you want. Hey Laurie its Kevin Costner today."

"Okay I haven't seen all of that one yet."

"How did you -?"

"It's the only Kevin Costner movie I have. Although I wouldn't mind getting Robin Hood."

His jaw drops at the confession. Looking closer he can see that a lot of her movies are classic westerns, a few musicals and some of the more recent science fiction. He is gratified to see that she does have all six Star Wars films as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Then he sees that she also has the newest Star Trek, still in its original store packaging.

"How many of these have you actually watched?"

"Most of them." Tony looks at the new video in his hand and back at her, clearly not buying her answer.

"Parts of most of them?" she smiles at the look of horror on his face when she confesses to falling asleep during most of the movies.

"And how often are you here for more than 24 hours?"

"Not often enough."

Thunder gives a soft woof of agreement at the last sentence.

"So does this mean that you'll sleep through this one too?"

"Not since you're here. I can usually stay awake when others are present."

Thunder gives a soft woof of agreement at that sentence too.

Tony looks down at Thunder who gazes up at him. "We need to get her watching not just buying."

"Wurf." The wolf's agreement brings a smile to Tony's face as he sets up the DVD player for the first film.

Laurie walks in and asks Tony if he'd like to eat in the kitchen or by the fire. Before Tony can reply the lights start blinking. Laurie looks at him and says, "Let's eat in the kitchen. We may end up sleeping by the fire tonight after all; unless you'd rather I teleport us back to town?"

Tony shakes his head no. He'd come here to spend time with her; fate was giving them that time. He follows her back to the kitchen where a pot of ham and beans is bubbling merrily on the stove and the oven timer dings indicating the arrival of freshly baked corn bread.

Laurie places the cooling ham bone in front of Thunder. The wolf licks her hand in thanks before taking his treat to the blankets in the laundry room. Tony looks around the kitchen and opens a few cupboards to find soup bowls for their lunch. He also uses the opportunity to open the drawers and pull out silverware for the meal.

Laurie reaches into the fridge and pulls out some butter. She sets it on the table and turns for their drinks when Tony grabs her around the waist. She loops her arms around his neck, in preparation for his kiss when he reaches around her and pulls some honey out of the cupboard by the fridge. She pouts and he retaliates by kissing her on the nose and moving to his chair. He then proceeds to slab some butter on his corn bread before sticking his spoon in his soup.

"Delicious; like always. Who taught you to cook?"

She places a bottle of water before him as she says, "It was one of those things that came natural to me. I remember watching the cooks at our compound and asking for lessons. Most were surprised but a few indulged me."

They finish eating. He washes the few dishes and she puts the food away. She wraps up the cornbread but leaves it on the table in case they want a snack later on. Tony leads her back to the living room and sits her on the couch. He grabs the remote and they watch the opening credits of Dances With Wolves come on the screen.

The movie barely gets started when all the lights go out and the screen goes dark. Laurie has Tony stay where he is. "I have a backup generator if it gets really bad. In the meantime I'll go grab some blankets in case we need to stay in this room tonight."

Tony watches her go and decides that he can help by finding some candles if nothing else. He stands up and heads for the kitchen. Thunder looks at him from the laundry room. "Hey, you know where she keeps the candles at big guy?"

Thunder pads over and gently takes Tony's wrist in his jaws, leading him to a drawer in the laundry room filled with candles and matches. As he pulls out several votives and pillar candles Tony sees a flashlight in the drawer too. He checks the batteries and carries his stash back to the living room.

There are several saucers laid out in strategic locations; obviously she's been through situations like this before. Tony places the candles in the saucers and lights them. Thunder comes into the room and lies down before the fireplace. Tony's lighting the last of the candles when Laurie comes back into the room her arms laden with pillows and blankets.

"Wow, I could get used to this. We should do this at least-." Her voice trails off as uncertainty overcomes her. After all, Tony is from a big city, there's no guarantee that he'll even want to come back here.

"Hey, I think that coming here once or twice a month could work depending on what our schedules end up like. Come on, I'll help you make up our nest."

She pushes any remaining doubts about their relationship to the side as she places the pillows and blankets next to Thunder. She then proceeds to pull the bed out of the sofa.

"You sleep in here a lot." It's a statement not a question and she nods telling him that she usually falls asleep on the sofa while watching the fire burn down or relaxing with a movie. Tony's measuring the room with his minds eye and says that they will stay warmer if they set up the mattress closer to the fireplace. Laurie nods in compliance and lays a blanket down on the floor first before helping Tony move the mattress on top of it.

As she already has a fitted sheet on the mattress, they quickly and efficiently place a flat sheet and several blankets on top of it, covering it with a soft down comforter. Laurie sets several pillows on the makeshift bed while Tony adds another log to the fire. He adjusts the protective screen and comes over to where she's sitting on the bed.

He sits down next to her and pulls her into his embrace. He asks what she thinks about when she looks into the fire.

"Where I've been, where I'm going; if anyone will be going with me." she sighs and he holds her close for several minutes before looking down at her. He brushes her bangs out of her eyes as he wants to see her expression to what he says next.

"I'm wondering if I should quit NCIS."


	22. Chapter 22

Tony's Salvation - Chapter 22

"_I'm wondering if I should quit NCIS."_

"What would you do instead?"

He sighs as he admits, "That's my problem. I've been with NCIS for so long now that I don't know anything else."

She gazes into his emerald green eyes, liking his honesty as he continues.

"I'm not sure I trust myself, my instincts anymore. I just don't know if I can read people the way I need to in order to do my job."

Laurie touches his cheek. "Then let's do this a simple way: we take the next week off. Neither of us will worry about anything aside from what to eat, and where to sleep. At the end of that time period if you want me to, I can either put you through a psych analysis or arrange for the testing you feel necessary in order to accurately do your job."

"And if I can't do my job?" this is the question that he's dreading an answer to.

"There's always Wal-Mart." The twinkle in her eyes and humor in her voice tells him that she's not serious. She continues in a more serious tone. "We can talk to Gibbs, or Abby or even Vance if we need to. We'll figure this out Tony. I promise you that we will figure this out together."

He sinks down lower on the bed so that his head is lying on her chest, relieved by her words. He's trembling and she knows that it's not from cold. The uncertainty of what his future might bring is almost terrifying to him.

"It's okay Tony. I'm here, I've got you."

Her hand drifts up to caress his face and he grabs it, needing to feel her grip in his; needing to touch the scar that reminds of someone…sometime.

"What is it about my scar that has you so fascinated?"

"I don't know, it's like I've seen it before many years ago and I can't think of when we might have met."

"It could have been in passing like we did at the airport."

"Mmm…maybe, you ever have trouble using a weapon because of it?"

"All the time. My hand starts cramping at the most inopportune times too. It's the main reason I'm retiring from the SEALs; the pain gets more frequent with the longer missions."

He can feel a tremor in her hand as the muscles in her hand contract. She hisses slightly but gives no other indication of the discomfort she's going through. Tony massages her hand and uses his own healer's gift to ease the pain and tension away.

"I could always recommend you for a consultant healer, or a massage therapist."

"You're the only patient that I'd want." The words slip out before he realizes he's said them and she kisses the top of his head.

"Come into my mind again?" the request makes her blink but she complies with it. as she steps into his mind she finds it swirling with uncertainty. Without thinking twice she puts her hand out and all the commotion stills; Tony's mental crawls out from under a desk.

Physically he slumps against her, finally able to rest. Mentally he pulls her into his embrace, holding as close as he can.

"Would you like some help making sense in here?"

"Please, I just don't know where to start."

"You trust me, don't you?" At his nod she continues, "then sit here on the desk while I go make some sense of all this for you. When I'm done you should feel two or three things: tired, whole or mostly so, and maybe hungry."

Three mental hours later she's finished. Everything is neatly categorized and in a fashion that Tony can easily control and understand. She's also found the remnants of the bond between Tony and his twin.

"Tony, do you want me to repair this or help you to repair it?"

Tony walks over to where she's at. The slight green thread is growing dimmer and Tony shakes his head.

"No, he's dead; let him rest in peace."

Tony looks beyond that bond and sees a small shimmering lavender string, slowly becoming entwined with a dark emerald one. "What's that?"

"That's our bond. As you can see it's still developing, but in time it could be as strong as or stronger than the ones you have with Tim, and the rest of your team."

She leads him to several more strands and he knows instantly by the color that the bright emerald is Tim and the silver blue is Gibbs. Smoky grey is Ducky, while a chocolate brown and a red almost black are definitely Ziva and Abby. These strands are solid and almost pulsing with individual life of their own.

"That's how Gibbs knows when we're hurt or lying to him. He uses our bonds."

"Yep, it's kinda sneaky but at the same time it's a good indicator of how much you guys care about each other. In a way it's like having Gibbs as your Papa bear and you all are his cubs. Tim and Abby and maybe even Ziva could be considered your sisters."

He wanders deeper, checking out all the sections that she'd cleaned up and finally, in a remote corner he finds the memory he'd been searching for. The elusive memory of when and where he'd seen that scar.

*flashback*

It had been his senior year at Ohio State. Tony and several of his buddies were celebrating their last days of mid-terms when the entire campus came down with the flu bug. Due to their inebriated state, most of the football team including Tony, managed to avoid it until the final game before the play-offs.

"We were all lucky not to have been injured that day. As it was…"

As it was, Tony had ended up at the bottom of the pile after scoring the winning touchdown. He'd felt the snap of his leg breaking as he went down. Two hours later he'd regained consciousness to find himself in traction at the campus hospital. One of his buddies, Steve Pittman, told him the bad news.

"They say that due to the way it broke, it's possible you'll never walk on it again. You're definitely out for the rest of the season. Sorry, man but you needed to know and no one else was willing to tell you."

"Where's Samantha? I thought she'd be here."

Steve had looked at the floor as he struggled not to tell Tony what he thought of Tony's current girlfriend.

"She couldn't make it Tony, she…"

"She didn't wanna be seen with a cripple." Tony finished for his friend and Steve nodded, clearly not happy with the way things had happened.

"I'm sorry man, I –,"

"It's okay Steve. Dude, I'm alive and we won right? The Buckeyes are in the Bowl Games!"

Steve smiled at Tony's attempt to lighten the mood. Soon the other man left and Tony fell into a restless slumber. At some time during the night, Tony had woken from a nightmare. He'd grabbed for something to hold onto and he'd found himself holding a hand; a hand with a raised scar that had a unique shape to it. A soft voice had reached into his groggy mind assuring him that he'd be all right; that he would walk again.

*end flashback*

"How did you know to be there?"

She sighs and runs a hand over her face, wondering just how to explain about _**that**_ part of her healing skills.

"Lemme guess part of your ninja skills?" He's not expecting her nod.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." His jaw drops as she keeps explaining. "The day that you were injured is the same day that we almost lost two members of Dawes Guys." She briefly glosses over the details that led to an ambush of the two youngest men, Taz and the Kid, on that team.

"I almost lost them twice. I did lose Rhett, our Tazmanian Devil for almost 30 seconds. Once they both stabilized enough to breathe and live on their own, I basically collapsed. I'd been working on the two of them for over 48 hours, trying to keep them alive. I managed to take a quick shower before I passed out."

She tells him that Thomas Stormwind had come in that night to check on not just his fiancé, Dawes, but the men as well.

"Tom is more than just her fiancé; he's the number one ranked N/S in the world and I did something that night that he's never seen or heard of before."

According to Stormwind, she'd teleported to an unknown destination and came back three hours later.

"I don't remember teleporting out of camp. Tom says that I'm a 'sleepwalking medic'. If a situation is dire enough I'll get up out of a deep sleep long enough to help or heal someone and then go back to my original location."

"My situation wasn't dire though. I just had a broken leg. What would have made you come to me?" Tony's confusion is almost equal to Laurie's. She still has no idea why she'd left the camp that day.

A new voice enters their conversation. "It was necessary and it could have turned dire."

"Rick!"

"Hello darling, hey bro good to see you again." Richard DiNozzo holds out a hand to his brother who shakes it absent-mindedly.

"Dire? I had a broken leg. How could that have been considered dire?"

Rick says, "It was a compound fracture and they didn't set it right the first time around. If she hadn't come, you would have eventually lost your leg to gangrene. That would have ended the majority of your careers. Our lady here knows just when to step in and save the day."

"I couldn't save you." Her soft mutter brings a smile to his ghostly image.

"I needed you to live sweetheart and you would have died trying to save me. My injuries were too great for even your mighty ninja skills. We needed you to live so that Tony could find you. He just didn't find you as soon as I thought he would."

"You sent me to him." She's staring at her former husband, not quite sure what to think of this news.

He nods and says, "Yes, but you were both so far out of it that recognition never had a chance."

"We were supposed to recognize each other 20 years ago?" Tony looks at Laurie who shakes her head at the question.

"Well, if circumstances had been better, yeah."

Tony's really starting to feel irritated by his brother's attitude. Rick is saying that he died so that Tony and Laurie could meet, yet he seems to have no idea of the grief that he'd caused with his death. Tony pulls her close, and she lets him hold her as he says, "No offense, but I'm kinda glad that we didn't meet that long ago."

"Especially considering how many of the ones who have gone through recognition ended up pregnant…" she shudders at the thought.

"What do you mean?" Tony has no idea what she's talking about.

"Almost all of Dawes Guys ended up recognizing someone within ten years of the war. Of those, all of them are now parents."

"I see what you mean. I think I have to agree with you…I'm not sure I'd want a lot of mini-me's running around underfoot. One maybe but not a handful."

"You two…."

"Can it Rick. If we're meant to be together and kids are part of that then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If not, we'll survive, won't we Laurie?"

"Mm-hmm." She's lost in thought and Tony turns her to face him.

"What is it?"

"I miss him…the baby."

Tony says nothing as he pulls her closer and lets her mourn. Knowing the life that she's led since her marriage to Rick, he knows that she hasn't had much opportunity to do so. A soft voice tells Tony that if they want to, recognition can happen without the risk of children.

Tony gives Laurie a quick hug and places her on a quickly conjured chair before turning on his brother in fury that the other man would even suggest such a thing.

"That's our choice to make together. _**If**_ we decide to. No one has the right to dictate the life of a child! I thought that our father would have taught you that much!"

Tony's trembling, he's that angry and Rick wisely disappears. Laurie comes over and puts her arms around Tony's waist.

"Tony, Tony calm down. Look at me, it's okay Tony, look at me. You're right, that is a decision that we'll make together once we decide whether or not to accept recognition."

Tony turns to her shocked, "Don't you want me?"

"Of course I do, I just didn't want to be recognition influenced. I want your love, not just sex with a good looking NCIS agent. I want you to want me, not my body. And I don't want it to be forced upon us."

Tony frowns at that thought. He's never been one to force a woman to do anything against her will. His cop instincts start to rise as he wonders if someone tried to force her into either marriage or a relationship she didn't want. Thinking back on their conversations so far, she's avoided saying almost anything about the former team called Dawes Guys.

He tentatively reaches out to the cord he knows to be McGee's all the while keeping Laurie in his embrace.

*McGee can you hear me?*

*Hey Tony, we haven't talked this way before.*

*Hush Probie, I need your help. Can you do a quick check on a former black ops team called Dawes Guys? I want you to find out how many are currently married and of those how many have children. I also want to find out just what Laurie Fields position was concerning the unit during the war and afterwards.*

*I'll need a code to get into those files Tony.*

Tony relays Tim's request to Laurie who tells him the user name and password he'll need to access the accounts.

Tim tells Tony that he'll contact him as soon as he has an answer.

Laurie tells Tony that "they just won't accept that I know who I'm supposed to be with and it isn't one of the guys."

"Was it supposed to be?"

"In all honesty, maybe. When I was growing up my martial arts master wanted me to marry the son of his closest friend. We fought against the marriage and won. Then due to the bond that we still have between us everyone is saying that the bond we have is recognition and it's not. We're just friends, close friends made closer due to the fact we're both SEALs. After the war everyone started expecting us to make plans."

"Why didn't you?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

Laurie looks at him and reaches out to the lavender cord. Even in the time they've been there the cord has gotten brighter.

"For a two day acquaintance, that's a solid bond. If we had ever been formally introduced, it's possible that it would be as thick as any three of those others combined." She nods to the ones he has with his team. "I've seen recognition bonds and a true bond is at least three to five strands thick depending on the level of trust between the two lovers."

"Would you," Tony clears his throat and tries again, "would you want another child this late in life?"

She nods shyly as she says, "If the child were to be conceived with love, I wouldn't mind another one. I just don't want to be turned into a baby factory."

Tony can almost picture her pregnant with a little DiNozzo and that makes him realize that he couldn't have done that with any of the other women in his life…not even Jeanne.

"Maybe I was following my instincts after all," he muses.

"It's not a crime to love someone Tony."

"I know, it's just that until today I couldn't picture that house with a wife and 2.5 kids and a dog. Well, the dog I could."

He sighs and takes her head between his hands as he kisses her.

"It's okay though. We have time to think, to sleep and who knows maybe even fall in love. Like you said earlier, we have two weeks so let's not rush it. For now, we'll sleep perchance to dream. Come on pretty lady, let's cuddle like we are physically. We can talk more in the morning."

He conjures up a bed, one that resembles their makeshift bed in her living room and lays her down. He then lies down beside her and she cuddles close to him, needing to be near him.

"It's okay, we'll get through this. One day at a time. Go to sleep pretty lady, go to sleep."

The softly murmured words and gentle caresses calm her as nothing else can. As her breathing deepens, she slips into sleep and Tony is left wondering if they could have met at any other place or time. Gradually he too falls asleep and he's still caressing his pretty lady.


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Italics equal mental conversation. _

Tony's Salvation—Chapter 23

Tony wakens gradually the next morning, and as he stretches, he blinks in surprise. He's still wrapped around Laurie, who is watching him wake up. His surprise is the way that he feels; there's no pressure to get to work, no rush hour traffic and no concerned glances from his friends.

He sighs and exchanges kisses with the lady in his arms then looks at the wolf still sleeping on the floor.

"He's how old?"

"I don't really know. At least ten years that I know of."

Tony slips off the bed and slowly approaches the wolf. The animal doesn't move and Tony wonders if the beast has died during the night. A soft nip on his fingers brings his gaze back to the furry face in front of him. A quick slurp of the canine's tongue brings a shout of laughter from the man and the two quickly engage in a playful battle. Laurie watches from her perch on the bed and smiles at their antics. She doesn't see a pointed finger or a shaggy nod of a furry head before she's attacked by both man and beast.

Ten breathtaking minutes later, Laurie emerges triumphant as she leans against both Tony and Thunder.

"You two behave for the next few minutes so that I can get some breakfast going."

Both males immediately quiet down. Tony looks up at her, "Can I help?"

"Not with breakfast, but you two could check on the rest of the house and make sure we don't have anymore surprise guests."

Tony turns to Thunder, "Would you expect anything to come in the middle of that storm?"

The wolf tilts his head as if thinking then shakes it negatively. Tony sighs and stands up. He hasn't seen the rest of the house yet and takes the opportunity to look it over. Thunder pads along beside him, a silent yet welcome companion.

To Tony's eyes, the house is quietly welcoming. The hallways are wide and all the rooms have plenty of windows or skylights. There's an office/den that has a computer sitting on a desk. The desk is old and Tony can tell that it's a beloved fixture due to the slightly polished sheen on the surface. There is a futon on the floor near the window that is immediately behind the desk. Tony looks down at Thunder silently asking if she sleeps in the office a lot. The wolf gives a silent nod and takes Tony's hand in his jaw. Tony follows his guide to what he soon realizes is Laurie's bedroom.

Tony looks at the wolf who gives him a steady stare, silently telling the man to see what is in front of him. Tony does a complete circuit around the room wondering just what it is that Thunder is trying to tell him when he looks down at the bed. It's still made, complete with the pillows neatly tucked under the comforter.

"She doesn't sleep in here." Tony looks at Thunder for confirmation and the wolf nods. Tony sits on the edge of the bed as he looks at the walls for answers. The room as a whole is painted a soft lavender/blue and reminds Tony of the sky at night just after sunset.

Some handcrafted shelves are bordering the window on the wall to his immediate right. The shelves are lined with more of the crystalline figures that he'd seen downstairs the night before. Right in front of him is a doorway that leads into the ensuite bathroom. To his left is the door leading into the room. The walls beside both doors are covered with more hand drawings. Tony stands up to look at them, absently noting the signature in the corner. As Tony turns to leave he freezes as he stares at the picture directly above the headboard.

Downstairs, Laurie turns off the stove and is preparing to call Tony and Thunder when she feels the shock coursing through Tony's part of their bond. She immediately heads for the bedroom and finds Tony staring at the picture above the bed. Thunder nudges Tony's hand, trying to snap him out of his shock. Laurie sits Tony on the bed then kneels in front of him, grasping his hands as she links with him mentally.

Tony's mentally sitting on a desk, wondering just when he'd met this woman. There is no way anyone knows about this particular part of his past. Hell, he'd forgotten about it until he saw the picture.

"_Tony? Tony, what happened? What's wrong?"_

_"Who are you? Why do I know you and how do you know about that?" _he points abstractly towards the picture. The picture is of a martial arts tournament and two little boys, obviously twins, are proudly showing their trophies and new belts to their mother. Tony and his brother had been involved with the martial arts as small children; after their mother died, their father refused to let them participate anymore.

"_I participated in the tournament. It was the one of the few times I was allowed to do so." _

"_I don't remember seeing you there."_

"_Tony, we were kids. You were seven or eight years old in that picture. I'm sure that you and Rick, Richie were more concerned with making your mother proud than you were in meeting other kids from overseas."_

Now she has his attention. _"Overseas? What do you mean?"_

"_I grew up in a martial arts compound in Japan."_

"_Which is why you are a ninja/samurai and not just a ninja?" _

"_Yes and no." _She smiles at the look on his face. _"We are all given the choice to do one or the other or both. I liked learning new things, still do, and that's why I became an n/s."_

"_So why were you at the tournament?"_

"_We learn all the martial arts, not just one. That way we're not limited in our thinking and can defend against most things thrown at us. We also choose to learn how other countries train in the martial arts."_

"_So do you know Ziva?"_

"_It is possible that we've met. After all I've had several cross-trainings with Mossad over the years." _

"_Still, I would think that I'd remember you or something about you from that time period. I mean, it was one of the few times I remember being happy." _

She looks at him and he stares into her eyes, wanting to find answers that she's not handing to him on a platter_. "You want me to go look for myself and find out when or if I saw you there."_

"_I know one thing Tony; I saw you there, all three of you or I wouldn't have been able to sketch that picture. That's one thing that the bond does limit us on; I can only see the same angle that you do. For me to have drawn that particular picture, you, me, Rick and your mother all had to have been there."_

Tony sighs and delves deeper into that particular memory. He does have a fondness for it, particularly because it was one of the last things he'd done with his mother prior to her death. As he thinks about it, he realizes that it's possibly the one memory that he does retreat into when he needs to isolate himself from work.

He finally finds what he's looking for and runs back out to where Laurie is waiting for him.

"_You need to see this."_

Laurie walks beside him, smiling slightly at his excitement. She's not sure if his memory of that day will echo her own. Then again, he'd had a brother and a mother to share his victory with. She'd had a taciturn master who'd gone from proud to worried in less than thirty minutes. She knows the reason behind Takezawa's worry now, but at that time it had put a little rain on her day.

Then she sees what Tony remembers; two little boys standing beside a girl with blonde hair and bluish/purple eyes. The two boys had been animatedly talking about the tournament; Richie is thanking her for some tip that she'd given them regarding their stances_. "Thanks to what you told us, we took first and second place in our class!" _

Tony remembers now, wondering what caused a faraway look to come into the girl's eyes. She'd told them congratulations in accented English and started to take her leave after bowing to both of them. Tony had tried to grab her hand, to shake it in thanks, but she'd escaped with a slight twist of her wrist. Then Mrs. DiNozzo had stepped forward and both boys had turned to greet her. Tony remembers seeing a faint glimmer of tears as the girl walked away from them.

"_Why were you crying?"_

"_I was jealous. I didn't then and still don't have any memories of my real parents. I've searched for years and not found anything. It's as if they never existed. That or I was found under a cabbage leaf after all."_

Tony hugs her, and smiles at her wry attempt at humor. He escorts her to the edge of his mind as he says "_come on, I smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. What did you make anyway?" _

"_Food." _At the saucy answer, he knows that she's on the rebound from the memory, same as he is. He taps her on the nose and watches as she leaves.

When he physically opens his eyes she's still kneeling in front of him, holding his hands, giving him that physical anchor if he still needs it. Thunder is watching from a pillow under the window. Tony helps her to her feet then stands up. He looks at his companions and says,

"Come on, lady; let's go eat that food you prepared for us."

Thunder woofs his agreement and leads the way out of the room.

**A/N: End of another chapter but not the story…thank you to all who are still reading this one…as you can see I didn't completely forget about it…just been working on other projects and trying to get closer to completing Rising Knights. And for those reading all my other incomplete stories…I still intend to finish those too…eventually ^_^**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

Tony sighs and pats his stomach, then looks at his two companions. Laurie is in the process of cleaning off the table and Thunder is thumping his tail waiting for Tony to drop some bacon or any offering he might want to contribute. Tony takes the last two slices of bacon and offers them to the wolf who gently takes the meat out of Tony's hand before heading over to the small rug where he finishes off the bacon.

"Did you teach him that or does he just know that you'd look at him funny if he left bacon grease on the floor?"

Laurie smiles at the wolf who is letting himself out of the house through the laundry room and the animal door within. She waits until their companion is outside before answering Tony's question.

"I think he just knows Tony. It's not your typical animal reaction that is certain. He's always been that way though, almost a perfect gentleman."

"Why only almost?"

A strong odor comes wafting in from the laundry room and Tony groans as Laurie laughs, "Silent but deadly strikes again. I wondered if he'd done that; it's about the only time he tends to slink away from the warmth of the house after a snow storm."

She hands him a small can of deodorizing spray and he quickly sprays the laundry room. As he turns back to the kitchen, Laurie is still laughing and Tony sets the spray can on the counter as he captures her in his arms and growls playfully at her, "You laughing at me?"

She peeps at him and nods still giggling at the expression that had crossed his face. He nuzzles her nose and sighs, "I probably would be too, if I hadn't been downwind."

He captures her lips with his, and he leads her back into the living room where the fire is just starting to dwindle. Several hours later, as he leans back against the cushions of the couch and cradles her in his arms, he stares into the dying flames wondering how he's been so lucky. He's found the woman of his dreams and he can acknowledge that yes, she's been part of his dreams for many years now.

The dreams were the one thing that have kept him alive during all the bad times of his life. From the day he'd been left in Maui, to the football game that had ended a promising career. From his probie days in homicide to his first years at NCIS he's had a small dream tucked away in a remote recess of his mind. He searches for that corner now and finds it easily thanks to the woman in his arms.

She's sleeping almost soundly, and he's not about to deny her the chance to sleep. He knows that she sleeps like he does; little or not at all just due to time and circumstances. He strokes the soft skin under his fingertips, liking the way she snuggles closer to him. She's unconsciously seeking his warmth and the reassurance that he's still there. Her hand is splayed out on his chest and he picks it up, rubbing that small scar, the one that will always give her trouble. The one that marks her for what she is; a woman of contrasts as a healer and warrior, a lover and fighter. He clasps that hand in his own, as he pulls the covers up to her shoulders. He rolls out from underneath those same covers, not immediately seeing the pansy eyes flicker then sleepily watch as he adds a fresh log to the fire. He pads down to the bathroom, and returns within minutes to see those same eyes thoughtfully staring into the flames.

"What's going through your mind right now?" He asks as he slips back under the covers and pulls her against him. She snuggles closer, her hand in his as she admits

"I've wanted this for so long, waited for so long that I'm almost afraid that it's still a dream." Her soft words mirroring his own thoughts have him glancing down at her. He brushes her cheek, and she leans into his embrace.

"Not a dream this time, pretty lady. Just you and me, Thunder and a fire glowing softly in the fireplace."

"Hmm...almost an Aspenglow." She says as she glances out the window.

"Aspenglow?"

"One of John Denver's classics. He often wrote about life out here; Aspenglow is one of his best ones, in my humble opinion that is. I think that's why I wanted to settle out here. So that I could see the Aspenglow."

"Don't know if I've ever heard it."

She kisses his lips as she leans across him and pulls out a remote control. That's when he remembers that the storm had knocked out the power the night before and he turns to her in silent question.

"Backup generator." she reminds him gently and he nods as the song begins to play. He notices that she sets the remote to turn off after the song plays, conserving the generator's energy in case they need it again that night. Listening to the lyrics he can imagine why she wants to come up here as the song seems to reflect the emotions in both of their hearts.

As the song ends and the stereo clicks off, they slip back under the covers, talking softly about the song and then about the revelations they've both been discovering over the past few days. Tony sighs in contentment as he feels the warmth of the fire engulf him. Between the fire and the lady in his arms, he hasn't been this relaxed in years. He yawns and blinks sleepily vaguely aware of Thunder's presence when the wolf emerges from the laundry room once again.

Thunder comes back in and lays down beside the drowsy couple. He rests his muzzle under Tony's other hand and the human obliges him with a scratch under his chin. The big white wolf sighs contentedly as he guards his companions while they sleep. He's spent years watching over the woman who is lying peacefully in her lover's arms. Soon, he'll be able to take his leave without wondering if she'll be okay. She's found that lost love, the one he's been waiting to come to her and live with her in her human den/cave.

That one mate who will satisfy his beloved human, who can protect her from her nightmares and loneliness in a way that he no longer can. He can feel the bond strengthening between them, engulfing the two in ways that neither of them will know about. He's ensured that they'll always have a protector when they need it most. Thanks to the female he has progeny that will live on long after he is gone.

He will miss his human friend, but he knows that she will be loved and secure in that love. That she will love this mate as much as she loved him when he was still a human. Richard DiNozzo Thorpe gazes at his brother, the one who protected him when they were both no more than mere cubs. He's wanted to tell them who he is, but it is part of the pact he'd made when he accepted the form he currently occupies. He's allowed to visit his family, to protect them from bodily harm, but he's not allowed to tell them who he is.

He smiles as they curl up in each others arms. Neither of them will question his disappearance when he finally allows himself to go home. He's a wolf today due to his wish to help his beloved humans find each other. He hadn't anticipated it taking so long, but he's content that they've done so and will be there when he wakes up in the morning. Sighing he stares into the flames, eyes closing as the warmth envelops his aging bones.

A soft voice brings him out of his reverie and he smiles as he sees several friends from across the ages come towards him. Once again he denies them the privilege of his presence. He needs a few more days, those two weeks to make sure that the bond is secure and that his brother and his former mate continue to thrive. His youngest pup, Moonstar has already found his way into the house, and is guarding not just the couple but his own form as well. He gives a soft wurf of approval and the two wolves stare into the flames of the fireplace waiting patiently for their friends, their family to wake up.

Aspenglow-by John Denver

_See the sunlight through the pine__  
__Taste the warm of winter wine__  
__Dream of softly falling snow__  
__Winter snow Aspenglow_

_As the winter days unfold__  
__Hearts grow warmer with the cold__  
__Peace of mind is all you know__  
__Winter snow Aspenglow_

_Aspen is a life to live__  
__See how much there is to give__  
__See how strongly you believe__  
__See how much you may receive_

_Smiling faces all around__  
__Laughter is the only sound__  
__Memories that can't grow old__  
__Winter snow Aspenglow_

_Aspen is a life to live__  
__See how much there is to give__  
__See how strongly you believe__  
__See how much you may receive_

_See the sunlight through the pine__  
__Taste the warm of winter wine__  
__Dream of softly falling snow__  
__Winter snow Aspenglow_

_Winter snow Aspenglow_

_a/n: as always the song and lyrics are not mine. I just wish that the song's singer/writer was still alive. _


End file.
